City of Secrets
by annasfreckles
Summary: Elsa never meant to return to Arendelle. But the death of her father and a mysterious letter takes her back to the cold, forlorn city she once called home. She finds the once-proud city in its death throes, gripped by fear and intrigue, its magic in decay. And in the midst of it all, a strange young woman named Anna, whom everyone blames, but is she truly at fault?
1. Homecoming

**A/N:** Here is the first chapter to my new fic! I've said this on tumblr but I'll say it here again just to clarify for anyone who may not follow me there (if you wanna stay up to date on my writing progress, follow my tumblr!), all chapters for COS will be uploaded every Saturday around 2-3pm PST, _**provided that I am two chapters**** ahead.**_ So in this case, I have up to Ch3 finished, abt to move onto Ch4. If I am _**not**_ two chapters ahead, I will put an update on my tumblr letting y'all know that I need some more time to finish writing the next _next_ chapter, and the fic will be updated the Saturday of w/e week I finish. However, I will not be taking too long to get ahead. I wanna keep a consistent schedule, so I will not allow myself a break longer than 2-3 weeks, outside of personal life issues getting in the way.

I hope you guys enjoy this fic, I've been having a blast writing it! It's a little different than what I normally write for the fandom and a little different from what ppl are prob used to in Elsanna fics, so I'm a bit nervous lol. Nonetheless, it's really special to me and I'm so glad I finally get to share it with y'all. :) ty all for following me and supporting my writing~

* * *

**1**

**Homecoming**

* * *

"All aboard! Next stop, City of Arendelle!"

Elsa took a deep breath as she stood, lone suitcase held tightly in gloved hand. She pulled the ticket out from her jacket pocket and showed it to the conductor, waiting for him to wave her on. She felt her breath catch in her chest in the second before she stepped onboard the train. One step, two steps, and then she was over the threshold.

Elsa set off down the carts at a brisk pace, searching for the right seat. There was one in the far-off corner, next to the window. It would give her the perfect view of the countryside as she made this miserable trek, and it was far enough away from everybody else that nobody would bother her. At least, she hoped it was. She took the seat by the window quickly and placed her suitcase on the chair next to her… then thought better of it and placed it under her legs, half of her mind on the contents of the case, the other half on the road ahead.

Elsa didn't even realize she was holding her breath until the train began to move forward and away from the station. She let it out in one sharp, aching burst.

This was it, she realized with cold dread. She balled her hands into fists so tight her knuckles began to hurt. No turning back now, as if there were ever really a choice.

_I'm going back to Arendelle._

The one place she promised herself she'd never set foot in again.

* * *

"Did you have a nice train ride, Elsa?"

He was waiting for her, just as she thought he would be.

Elsa stepped off the train and looked around her. The train station was busy, humming with the energy of people bustling to and from the train stops. All of them, she noted without surprise, were dressed for business, traveling from district to district. Some were clearly servants, headed for the outside cities on business orders, stuffed suitcases trailing behind them. Never for very long, of course. People couldn't stay outside of Arendelle without eventually facing consequences, after all.

Despite the crowded nature of the station, however, it felt achingly empty. People were hushed in their voices, even their footsteps sounded muted in the quiet, oppressive environment of the city. And Elsa could tell, they were all trying to avoid looking at her. Or rather, avoid being obvious about looking at her. Elsa caught several people peering at her from the corner of their eyes, or turning away as she stared at them and whispering conspiratorially to each other. She had no doubt what they were talking about. And she had no doubt that word of her homecoming would spread throughout the city long before sunrise.

But Elsa didn't care for them. She never did. Not that she cared much for him, either, though they did share a strange bond. She looked to the one who stood before her, his eyes alight with a strange energy, and a calm, soft smile turning his lips slightly.

"Hello, Hans," Elsa managed in as polite a voice as she could muster, with as polite a smile as she could offer him. "Yes, the train ride was very lovely."

Hans gave her that self-sure smile he always had plenty of. "So you _do_ recognize me. I was worried you wouldn't, after so many years away from home."

A curdling, bubbling sensation rose in her stomach at that word, but she kept that buried, betraying not a single feeling of discomfort. Not with those curious hazel eyes watching her. She gave him a small smile, a quiet laugh in her voice as she said, "It's only been three years."

Hans gave her his own laugh in return, a low chuckle that seemed to hum from his chest and up. "A lot can happen in a year, much less three. You'll see that soon." Before Elsa could ask him to clarify, Hans tilted his head towards her case and held out his own gloved hand. "Would you like me to carry that for you?"

"No, thank you," Elsa said, switching it over from her left hand to her right hand. She had hoped the gesture seemed casual enough, but she could see a flicker of _something_ in his eyes, and she didn't like it.

"Very well. May I, at least, accompany you to the estate? There's already a carriage waiting outside."

Elsa knew the way. She had taken the path many times, after all, and three years had done little to wash out a memory as intrinsic as that, as much as she may have tried so desperately to forget it. Arendelle would always be a part of her, it would seem.

Nevertheless, she found that she did not want to walk that path alone now, and as he was the only one offering—rather, the only one around _to_ offer—Elsa would have to endure Hans' presence for just a little longer.

"Of course."

Hans led her outside of the train station, past the burning stares that followed at her back, away from the empty noise and out into the quiet nature of the cobblestone streets. Just as he promised, a carriage stood waiting, the driver passing the time patiently by reading the paper. When he saw them, he folded it away, tipping his hat in greeting with a soft, "Nice to see you, M'lady."

Hans stepped aside and held Elsa's hand as he helped her into the carriage. She kept the suitcase held tightly in her other hand and placed it on the outside of her right leg, against the door, and away from prying eyes.

Hans took his seat next to her, closing the door as he did so. He nodded to the driver ahead, saying, "To Beaumont Estate, please."

"Of course, sir," the driver said, then faced forward. The air hummed and crackled with energy as he drew his hands forward, fingers tracing strange lines, symbols dancing in the moonlight. A large oval sphere burned into the air in front of him, briefly, and then dissipated as the light reformed into more familiar shapes. Two horses, made of a bright shimmering yellow light. The faintest of lines reached out from the driver's hands to different parts of the horses' bodies, smaller versions of the same oval sphere on his fingertips. The driver began to wave his hands as if conducting an orchestra, and the horses moved forward, pulling the carriage at a leisurely pace.

The _click-clack_ of hooves echoed in the empty streets.

Too empty, Elsa realized.

Elsa eyed the dark streets, thick with fog and nothing else, and felt her insides twist. Arendelle had always been a bustling city of a quiet nature. While the night had never been filled with as much activity as the day, Elsa could still count on seeing horse-driven carts and groups of people making their way to and from the train stops, shops, restaurants, and especially the pubs.

But now… there was nobody.

"Where is everybody, Hans?" Elsa asked. "The city is awfully quiet."

"It's the middle of the night, Elsa. Everyone who isn't on business is in bed."

Elsa raised her eyebrow and gave him a look. His face betrayed no actual emotion.

"The city has never been like this, even at night."

Hans shrugged, but now he seemed rather uncomfortable. He shifted in his seat, clearing his throat as he said, "Well, it's like I said. Things have changed in the three years you've been gone. Truthfully, things have gotten tense since you left Arendelle."

Elsa raised an eyebrow. "Tense, how?"

Hans shook his head, looking uncharacteristically dour. "It seemed to happen as soon as you left. Businesses have been failing, the city is stuck in a spiraling deficit. Weselton is chomping at the bit with the aristocracy and working class breathing down his neck."

Elsa frowned. That spineless mayor never seemed to care about what people said or thought about him, so long as he had the approval and money of the other three founding families. For him to be in a panic over the citizenry, things really must have taken a downturn.

"But somehow, I feel that isn't all?"

Hans smiled wryly. "You'd be correct. A very bizarre thing. Farmers have reported their livestock dying, their crops drying up and molding over."

Elsa blinked. "_What._"

Hans nodded gravely. "The markets have had to turn to the other cities for help. Investments have suffered as a result. And it's only been getting worse over the past three years."

Elsa frowned. How was this happening all of a sudden? How did her father never mention anything in the letters he sent her? "This really all happened after I left?"

"Yes, it made for quite a few juicy rumors. Some think that you cursed the town when you left." Hans laughed his usual good-natured laugh. Elsa didn't quite find that as funny as he did and she turned away to look out the carriage, crossing her arms across her chest. She heard him clear his throat and continue, "Of course, it's all nonsense. I've stomped out every rumor I've come across."

Elsa nodded. She knew he would. Hans was a bit too eager to keep her good image intact, and she could never be sure why. She desperately hoped it wasn't for… the obvious reasons.

"Enough of this dreary talk," Hans said, waving his hands as if to physically dismiss the issue. His easy smile was back on his face as he turned to her. "Tell me how you've been."

Elsa straightened in her seat, readjusting her coat. It suddenly felt tight around her neck. "I've been well," she answered easily. It was true, after all, if unexplanatory.

"How was the countryside?"

Elsa looked him over. His easy smile was still on his face, soft but radiant. His shoulders relaxed, his head canted to the side. She frowned to herself. He made it look so effortlessly, like he could do this without a thought or care in the world. She half-wondered if maybe that wasn't exactly it.

_He always enjoyed this kind of life. He took to it so naturally._

The quiet lingered on for longer than she had intended. Hans was still watching her. She cleared her throat and shrugged slightly, trying to ease back against the side of the carriage.

"It was beautiful," Elsa finally responded, and her smile widened as she got lost in her memories. "I had a small little cottage out in the fields, with its own vegetable garden. I had learned how to plant and farm on my own, but there wasn't enough room for animals, so I would have to walk to the market town nearby for milk, meats, and eggs. Bread, too, of course."

"Quite a walk, I imagine."

"A few hours," Elsa nodded. "But I liked it. It gave me exercise, and even on rainy days, it was nice to walk through the fields. The people in town were lovely as well, easy to talk to and full of life."

Hans' eyes went to the ceiling of the carriage in thought, and he hummed a gentle rhythm. "It sounds very lovely."

"It was! It was quiet but still alive with nature. It was comfortable and simple. It was—"

"Home?"

Elsa flinched, her memories shuddering to a stop as she thought of cold, grey halls and colder, greyer skies. Elsa sighed, this time heavy, forlorn and aching. She felt her walls shut down around her, locking Hans out once again. He had always managed to pry a little of her true self the most easily out of any of them.

"Yes, I suppose you could call it that."

Hans gave a small, sad smile before turning to look back out the window. "I know what you mean, Elsa. As full of people and fast-paced as this city gets, it never quite feels alive, does it? Like everyone is forced on a routine, a mimicry of life." Hans sighed and shrugged. "But I suppose, it's all I've ever known. I don't know if I could ever quite give it up, like you did so easily."

Elsa stilled at that. She couldn't tell if he meant it to be hurtful or consoling.

"And how about you, Hans?" she asked, hoping to change the subject. "How have you been?"

Hans smiled; it never quite reached his eyes. "I've been well enough."

"And your family? How are they?"

"Mother and Father have left across the country. Most of my brothers have followed dutifully, as they do."

Elsa canted her head, raising an eyebrow in thought. "Did something go wrong with the banks?"

Hans waved a dismissive hand. "Nothing more than usual. Father just wanted to take a more hands-on approach with them, cover all our bases. And with a family as big as mine, with as much that we own…" Hans shrugged, giving another winning smile. "There's a lot of bases to cover. I've been left along with Julien, Silas, and Owen to look after things here in Arendelle."

"Really? That's interesting." Elsa studied Hans carefully, though she knew no true answer was going to come from her observations. She supposed it wasn't as big of a deal as she was making it, and it wasn't like she was one to speak. But people didn't _ever_ leave Arendelle, and if they did, it was a good and council-approved reason, and never permanent. Business affairs were a good enough reason, but most people had someone to go for them, or if they left, it was only for a weekend, maybe a week. Those of the founding families never had to step foot outside of Arendelle to engage with the other cities except for PR reasons.

An entire family leaving behind their youngest to look after things… that was unusual enough that Elsa didn't feel hypocritical in her assessment of the situation. And it sounded, by what Hans told her, that they were planning on staying away for a very, _very_ long time.

_The Westergaards have always had ambitions beyond Arendelle…_

It worried her, truthfully.

"And what of your brothers? How are they faring in all of this mess?"

"Oh, they haven't changed."

_How comforting._

Elsa was going to offer some kind of nicety, anything to cushion the awkward silence, when the carriage turned the corner and the horses knickered frightfully. The driver's hands became frantic as he tried to get them under control, cursing as he sent them into a faster trot. Elsa looked up at this, confused, when something caught her eye. Or rather, _someone._

A lone young woman, dressed in green with her hair in braids, had her hands and face pressed up against the glass pane of a store's window, behind which was an array of absolutely delicious-looking chocolates. As it were, the shop was very much closed. Elsa thought she heard the girl give a low whining pout over the _click-clack_ of the horses' hooves as she bent over and pushed her face into the glass more, as if she could push herself through and nab the chocolates for herself.

At the sound of the carriage behind her, the girl turned around and looked up. She and Elsa made eye contact and Elsa took a sharp breath at the sight of those wide, bright teal eyes, of a thousand freckles dusting soft, milk-white skin. The girl gave a crooked, cheeky smile, one that spoke of young mirth, but also hid something else. Something Elsa couldn't figure out. Something she wasn't sure she _wanted_ to figure out.

Elsa frowned. She didn't recognize this woman.

The driver took one look at the girl and scowled. "_Yaah, yaah!_" he shouted, arms shaking with the force of his magic as he urged the horses faster. Elsa's frown deepened at his behavior. The girl didn't seem bothered, however, her smile only widening, her eyes happy, twinkling crescents.

"Hey, Hans," Elsa said, turning to face her companion. He was staring sightlessly out of the other window, unaware of everything. He startled a bit when she called his name, turning to look at her, blinking.

"Yes? What's wrong?"

"Who is that wo—?"

Elsa turned back to look out the window. The girl was gone.

Elsa turned around across her shoulder and out the back window of the carriage. There was no sign of the girl anywhere. The cobbled streets lay empty all around them, and there were no nearby alleyways for her to slip into unseen. So, Elsa reasoned, unless she could disappear in thin air…

"Seeing ghosts, Elsa?" Hans laughed, full of humor. She sensed the driver tensing at his joke. "Arendelle _is_ considered the most haunted place in the North, and for good reason."

Elsa shook her head. "Hans, have you ever seen a young woman in braids and a green outfit, near that chocolate shop back there?"

Hans face softened immediately, and she thought she saw a twinge of guilt in his hazel eyes. He bowed his head, nodding. "Yes, her, she's, uh… she's been around. Pay her no mind, Elsa. You have enough on your hands at the moment."

Elsa tensed, curling her hands into fists. Hans was right, of course, but it still stung to hear him say that. Once again, she had no idea if he was trying to get under her skin or not, but the concern on his face seemed genuine enough, and so she only nodded. She could find out the identity of the mystery girl another time.

It seemed like she was going to be stuck in the city for a while anyways.

The rest of the ride continued in uneasy silence, Hans radiating discomfort, Elsa her usual anxiety, and the driver never losing his edge since the sighting of the girl. Elsa was beginning to worry that it would last the entire night until, at long last, they had finally approached the Beaumont Estate. Her eyes lingered on the gate, the twisting metal frame guarded by the twin lion statues. The lions' eyes glowed a bright red and a blood-red sigil flashed before the gate when the human guards raised their arms, barring the way forward. Elsa gave a deep, shaking breath before she reached into her jacket and pulled out the papers identifying her as the Beaumont heiress, leaning out the window as the closest guard approached and handing him the papers. She knew he recognized her by the look in his eyes when he saw her face, but all the same, he looked the papers over carefully, his eyes flitting over the words, not missing a single one. Elsa held her breath in the meantime, aware of Hans watching carefully.

Finally, the guard nodded, giving her the papers back. "Welcome back home, Miss Beaumont. We've missed you terribly these past three years."

Elsa swallowed the sudden stony lump in her throat and nodded. "It's… good to be back." she lied.

The guard returned to his post and the other lowered his arm. With a wave of their hands, the sigil disappeared, and the gate unlocked and swung inward. The lion statues' eyes turned an icy blue, and their heads turned to watch the carriage as it moved forward down the stone pathway. Up ahead, the stone pathway turned into a circle, a garden and stone statue of the founding Beaumont standing proudly in the center. The carriage turned and finally stopped at the steps of the Beaumont House.

She looked it over as thoroughly as she could, checking it against her many memories, and nodded. It was exactly the same as she had left it. And truth be told, she was disappointed. She wanted there to be some visible change—no, not just some, but a _lot._ Something, anything, to convey that three years had passed since she was last here. As it were, it looked as if no time at all had passed.

It was as if she had never left, and Elsa found that thought to bring a painful, sharp ache of anxiety to her chest.

Hans had already exited the carriage and walked around to her side. Before he could open the door, Elsa took the suitcase into her left hand, twisting uncomfortably over herself, and held it on her lap. When he opened the door and held out his hand in offering, she held the suitcase tightly to her right side as she took Hans' own hand in her now empty left hand. She saw a small smile twitch at the corner of his lips, but he said nothing.

"Would you like me to walk you to the front door?"

Elsa thought about it. She looked up at the large oak doors, tall and imposing in their quiet watch. She thought of the memories that lay beyond, that old familiar loneliness soaking into her bones. An even worse loneliness started to tug at her heart. The beginning aches of grief.

She suddenly didn't want Hans anywhere near the space of her family.

"If it's alright with you, Hans, I'll just go up on my own." She was glad to hear that her voice did not tremble, though it was terribly quiet. She was surprised Hans could hear her at all.

Hans nodded, as if in understanding. "Of course, Elsa. It's been a long time, I imagine you would need this time to yourself." He gave her a smile, an attempt at comforting, though it only turned her insides to ice. "Perhaps we can go get something to eat later in the week, when you aren't so busy with everything?"

Elsa resisted the urge to narrow her eyes. How much did he know? She wondered if he even had a way of knowing. Maybe she was just being paranoid. Everyone in the town was bound to know of her father's passing. Hans couldn't have known anymore than that. He was just being a caring friend. She hoped. She prayed.

Elsa wasted only a fraction of a second more before giving him a carefully constructed smile, but she knew he had noticed.

"Yes, that would be lovely."

"Very well, then. I'll see you later, Elsa. Please do take care of yourself, and…" Hans' face twitched, as if he wasn't sure what to do with it, before bowing his head low, a hand to his chest. "It is very good to have you back. We all missed you."

Elsa let his words wash over her as she watched him return to the carriage, as she heard the click of the doors shut, as the horses resumed their steady pace down the pathway and out past the gate. She watched the gate shut with a clang behind the carriage, watched as it faded away down the street and disappeared around the corner, and then it was gone, and she could no longer be certain of what he did.

_Yes,_ Elsa thought bitterly. _I'm sure you have._

Elsa looked back up to the front of her house and sighed.

Best to get this over with.

* * *

"Welcome home, Elsa."

Elsa stood in the foyer of the giant house, her butler and closest friend wrapping his thick arms around in her a tight, warm hug. For her part, she hugged back as best as she could, wrapping her free arm underneath his and resting it across his back. Her face rested easily into his shoulder and she took in a breath of his warm, familiar scent.

She could admit she missed this.

"Hello, Kai. It's been… a long time." She smiled, hoping he wouldn't bring up the fact that she was the reason for that long time.

"It has," he agreed, stepping back to give her a kind, fatherly smile. If he held it against her at all, he didn't show it, and Elsa felt herself relax a bit more. "Too long. This house was beginning to feel dull without you around."

"Dull?" Elsa snorted, forgetting herself momentarily. She cleared her throat, giving Kai a wry smile. "I'm not exactly what one would call exciting. When I wasn't being tutored by Father, I was out in the gardens reading or playing chess."

"Your presence was still sorely missed. It was clear something was missing these past three years… and then when your father died…"

Elsa's smile vanished at that. A harsh pang stabbed at her chest like an icicle, sharply drawing the breath out of her and dropping shards of cold regret into the pit of her stomach. Elsa shook her head, trying to clear the dark, brooding thoughts that flooded her mind, and put on a smile again. It felt so forced and fake, she knew Kai would be able to see right through it.

"Well, I'm back. And I'm not leaving any time soon. Though… I wish we could have seen each other under different circumstances…"

Kai nodded his head, all cheer leaving his face. "As do I. I'm not sure there's a single person in this household who would have wished these dreadful circumstances on you, Elsa. But the Lord only tests us to make us stronger. There's nothing we can do about what happened, except to put our best feet forward. There's a lot that needs to be done now."

Elsa repressed a groan and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath as she gave as firm a nod as she could. Everything she had left behind three years ago now resurfaced with a vengeance, coming crashing down on her shoulders. She had tried so hard to avoid it all, to give it all up, and she had come so close to freedom…

So close…

Elsa sighed. "If it's alright, Kai, I think we can deal with all that in the morning. First… I'd like to visit Father's study."

Kai nodded, drawing himself up straighter and fixing his jacket. "Yes, of course. Right this way."

As Kai led her through the house, Elsa looked over her surroundings. All the windows were closed, curtains drawn, the lanterns lit with waving, wilting fire orbs casting long dark shadows that clung to the walls. It was just her and Kai walking through the halls, footsteps soft and muted against the carpet, but she could hear whispers in some of the rooms she passed, as if ghosts lingered there, watching them—or as it was more likely, the staff avoiding her, talking about the incident that brought her here to begin with. The mood was dark and oppressive, quite literally, and as she followed Kai, Elsa couldn't help but think that her house was more like a dungeon.

Or a crypt.

Kai stopped in front of a large black wood door with gold trimmings. It was locked tight, but there was no keyhole. Elsa didn't really need a key anyways. She already knew how to open _this_ door.

"If you need anything else," Kai said, giving her arm a gentle squeeze, "just call."

Elsa nodded, swallowing past the lump in her throat, trying to blink back the tears that threatened to spill over. She waited for Kai to walk away, listened for his footsteps to fade into the distance. When she turned her head and he was finally gone, Elsa turned back to the door in front of her.

Elsa took her glove off and placed her hand on the spot beneath the door handle. Her hand glowed bright blue and an icy sheen appeared over the plate. A deep, humming resonated through the door, and she heard a click.

Elsa took a deep breath as she took the door handle, twisted it, and pushed the door open. It creaked loudly, reverberating through the whole house it felt like. Elsa exhaled the breath she was holding and stepped over into her father's study.

This, too, had not changed in the slightest since she was last here three years ago. Bookcases lining the curved walls of the large room, leading up to three steps and a dais where the large mahogany desk stood. Two cushioned leather seats sat in front of the steps, with a small table in between them, a writing pad and an emptied smoking tray on the table. A brass globe perched on the edge of the desk, a calendar propped next to it, and on the other side, another writing pad and her father's unique black fountain pen. A lantern was lit with the same small orbs of light as the rest of the house, casting the same cold and dreary shadows that seemed to drown out the rest of the room so that all attention was on the desk. In the center, a single plaque read the name _Nathaniel Beaumont._ Elsa remembered papers piled behind the name plaque, her father sitting in that chair, pen in hand, and a face of utmost disappointment and quiet anger glowering down at her.

She had told him that she was leaving Arendelle.

He had told her that if she left, she wouldn't see a penny of her inheritance.

She was fine with that.

Elsa walked over around the desk and placed her suitcase on top of it. She could not get herself to sit down in that seat, so she stayed standing. She ran her hand across the top of the suitcase, running a thumb over one of the locks. She looked up quickly, looking all around the room. Her nerves shot up and she had the strangest feeling of being watched, but she knew it was impossible.

Even still, she almost didn't open the suitcase.

Flicking the locks up one by one, she pulled the lid of the case up and examined its contents. Most of it was just her clothes, what little personal items she possessed. But on top of all of that was a large, beige envelope. She took the envelope in one hand and flipped open the already-unsealed flap. She pulled out the leaves of paper and placed them down on the desk.

All the details of her inheritance were written here—all the crowns her father gave her, all the businesses she now oversaw. The estate, the house, and all the buildings on the land—now in her name. The goods sitting in those buildings, ready to be shipped out. This was what her father had promised to take from her had she stepped foot outside of this city, and yet, for whatever reason, here it now was, in her hands, her father's signature professing his acceptance. She shuffled through it again, looking it over though she now had it all memorized, before she couldn't stomach it anymore and shoved it back into the suitcase. Inside the envelope, there was just a single paper left. She took it out and unfolded it, reading over the ink she had read over a dozen times by now.

_Elsa_

_You must return to Arendelle at once._

_Something has gone terribly wrong._

—_Your Father_

It was stamped and dated September the 14th. The day before her father's death.

Elsa turned away from the desk and looked out the large window that oversaw the room. Her father's study looked out over the sprawling gardens below, but also into the streets beyond. She could see out into the market square from here. She remembered watching crowds of people during the Christmas season when she was a child, spying on them from afar. Or watching the parades during the summer festival. She remembered how often she found herself looking out over the rooftops to the borders of the city, to the world beyond Arendelle.

Elsa spotted a woman in green walking down the dark, empty streets… and out of sight.


	2. Little Ghost

**A/N:** here's Ch2! we get a proper introduction to a certain special someone ;) enjoy!

**tw:** none that I know of

* * *

**2**

**Little Ghost**

* * *

Elsa sighed, deep from her core and draining her of all remaining energy, her shoulders slumping in frustration.

Papers scattered across her desk in complete disarray; she had long since given up on keeping it organized. Receipts and stocks all glared back at her. Several pages detailed the closing down of one vital trading partner and the crowns it would cost the Beaumont Estate—estimated at about seven hundred thousand. The rest of her estate's investments wouldn't be able to recoup the loss.

And that wasn't even getting into the problems of the estate here in Arendelle.

It was tempting to throw the lot of it into the fireplace. Or maybe she could hire Hans as her personal paper-burner. If she wasn't so nervous about the idea of one of the Westergaard family so close to her own family's affairs, she would call him up and ask right away.

If she wasn't the only person who could salvage her father's legacy, then she would've called him up anyways.

"Kai," Elsa exhaled as she threw her pen down, rubbing desperately her temples. "I'm so over this."

Kai hummed sympathetically. "I know, Elsa, dear. Your father may have taught you how to handle these types of things, but he could never quite teach you to have the same level of fondness for it as he did."

"I still don't understand how he could find any fun in this." Elsa groaned and leaned back in the leather chair. She had asked for a new chair for the study. Sitting in her father's still felt like a trespass, and she had never found it comfortable anyways.

Kai's lips twisted into a strange smile. "Your father was a different kind of man."

_That's a word for it,_ Elsa thought with a frown. _A nicer one than I would use, that's for sure._

Elsa had been stuck in the study for most of the three days she had been in Arendelle, poring over her father's old notes, reviewing the details of the estate's money losses, the businesses under the Beaumont name that now struggled to keep their doors open. And when she wasn't stuck in her study, she was in any of the warehouses on her property, speaking with the staff and businessmen, looking over the wares waiting to be shipped—or just as often, tossed out as they now were deemed useless. Her mind strained at the constant math she was forced to utilize, frazzled at the frustration of every irate investor, anxious executive, and disgruntled worker she had to endure, and she often found herself aching to return to the solitude of her cottage home. At night, when she found her eyes glazing over, her mind foggy with with exhaustion, she would put the papers away and leave for the gardens, a book in hand, desiring even a small moment to relax before finally turning in for the night.

These past few days, Elsa found she enjoyed going to bed far more than waking up to start a fresh, new day of headaches.

Elsa found herself once again staring out the windows longingly at the gardens.

"Almost, Elsa," she heard Kai say with a fatherly chuckle behind her. She turned to give him a pleading look, but he shook his head. "You still have a few more calls to make today."

Elsa looked to the watch on her wrist and frowned. Only six in the afternoon? It felt like it should be closer to ten or eleven.

"How many, exactly?" she sighed more than asked.

"Five calls, exactly."

Elsa groaned. "Best to get this over with, then." She picked the phone off the receiver and held her finger over the dial, then paused. "Who am I calling, again?"

"Countess Priscilla Wagner of Corona. Here, I have her information compiled already." Kai made a flourish with his hand and light fluttered around his fingers, and then dissipated without much ceremony. He frowned and flourished his hand again. The light shimmered and then disappeared with nothing to show for it.

Elsa frowned, concerned. "Is… everything okay, Kai?" She had never seen his magic act up like this.

Kai shook his head. "Magic hasn't been working right lately." He gave one last, jerking flourish, but got the same lack of response. He was cursing under his breath now.

"For how long?" Elsa asked, getting up from her seat now and hanging up the phone. The countess could wait, she decided.

"It's nothing to worry about, Elsa," Kai said, shaking his head and ushering her back into her seat. "I'm not the only one who's been having trouble."

Elsa stared at him. Her concern dropped to the pit of her stomach like a rock, dread coalescing in her veins. "You… aren't?"

Kai sighed and nodded. "Everyone's been having trouble with magic. It's the strangest thing, it feels as if it's… diminishing, almost. Simple spells are getting harder to perform. And the more elaborate are almost impossible now for all but a few of the aristocracy. I'm sure you can guess who."

_The founding families,_ Elsa thought. This would explain why her own magic had been fine, though she also hadn't been using it very often. "How long has this been going on?"

Kai's face twitched and he turned away. It was clear he didn't want to respond. Silence suffocated the room for a few moments longer, but Elsa's questioning glance never let up. Finally, with a sigh, Kai said, "People noticed they were having difficulty with magic a few weeks after you left. Three years ago."

Elsa sucked in a breath. That couldn't have been a coincidence. All this stuff that had been going on in the city seemed to have started with her departure. It was no wonder there were so many rumors floating through the city about her now… what else could they connect these incidents with? Elsa wondered why Hans didn't bring this up in their conversation on the ride home.

Elsa shook her head, her exhaustion having officially caught up with her. There was no way she could finish the day's business now. "I think those calls can wait for tomorrow, Kai. I'll handle them in the morning before I leave with Owen."

Kai raised a questioning eyebrow. "Are you sure, Elsa?"

"Yes, I don't think I have much energy left in me for tonight. I'll be out in the gardens if anyone needs me." Elsa gave him a small smile, hoping her worried thoughts didn't show through it. From the look on his face, they did.

Kai only nodded reluctantly. An argument would do neither of them any good. "Very well, Elsa. I'll let the rest of the staff know. But I'm holding you to your word. I _am_ glad you're getting out for once, as you need to see the city. But…" He shook his head, distrust clear on his face. "Just be careful with that boy, Elsa."

Elsa smiled to herself as she left. Of course Kai would be worried, no matter the family's history with the Westergaards. Or, perhaps, because of the family's history with the Westergaards. She agreed with him, but it was like he said, she desperately needed time out of this house haunted by unhappy memories.

In between assessing the fortunes of her inheritance, dealing with the losses to her estate, and being yelled at over the phone, Elsa did not have much time to enjoy the rest of the city—as much as it could be enjoyed, anyways. She had hoped to take a trip to the markets at some point, and she still had her lunch with Hans to attend, but she never got the chance to. She hadn't even spoken to him since he had met her at the train station.

His brothers had called, though, as she expected.

"It's nice to hear your voice again, Elsa," Julien Westergaard had said the day after her arrival, his voice emotionless but polite. "We were beginning to worry we'd never hear from you again."

_If I had my way, you wouldn't have._ Elsa smiled instead and said, "I'm sure I would have visited."

"Visiting Arendelle is hard for those who have left, you know that." He sighed, as if the thought tired him, but Elsa heard no change in his voice as he asked, "And how is Kai? I haven't seen much of him these past few weeks since the unfortunate passing of your father."

Elsa winced and did her best to swallow the distaste out of her words. "He's doing well. He's helping me with… everything."

"Ah, yes, yes, I imagine you have a lot on your hands. Your father left you quite an inheritance."

Elsa's eyes narrowed. "I wouldn't think my father would disclose that information to anyone."

"He didn't. I just assumed. You're the only heiress to the Beaumont Estate, after all, and with as old a family as yours, and ours… well, that's a lot to burden a young woman like yourself." Suddenly he laughed, dry and humorless. "Don't act so paranoid, Elsa. It's ill befitting you."

Elsa sighed, but before she could say anything, he continued, "Daisy and I are having a holiday ball on Hallow's Eve. We would love for you to join us."

Julien and Daisy Westergaard were renown throughout the city for their masquerade balls. There was one for every holiday, and one for every season. They even had a ball for each of the solstices. And one for the founding of Arendelle. And a few for no other reason than they wanted to. Elsa was starting to think they just liked to throw parties for the hell of it, to show off. Lord knew they had more than enough money for it.

It would be rude of her to decline the invitation on the best of days. Now, after her sudden return to the city and the death of her father, it would be downright scandalous for her to say no. Even if she, truthfully, couldn't stand the company of Julien or his snobby wife.

So she swallowed her pride and disgust, smiled, and said, "Of course, Julien, it sounds like it would be a wonderful time. How is Daisy doing? And the children?"

"They're all doing well. Aaron has started his second year of schooling. I've gotta get going now. I'll be seeing you around, Elsa."

And then he hung up.

Silas' phone call was even shorter, and through it, he couldn't keep his condescension hidden. Not that Elsa expected him to.

"So how much of his coin did the old man leave you?"

Elsa pursed her lips and glared at the phone in her hand. It was tempting to slam it down instead of deign to give that smug bastard the satisfaction of an actual answer. But she knew that if she did that, he would be just as thrilled, and he would let anyone within earshot know of her transgression. Especially his older brother, and Julien would not be nearly as amused as Silas would be. She couldn't do that, especially with the Hallow's Eve ball coming up, and her appearance already a guarantee.

Elsa sighed, and said, "I'd rather not discuss that."

Silas scoffed. "But of course, you Beaumonts have to keep everything a secret. Wouldn't do to have the wrong ears hear the wrong information. Frankly, we were all surprised he left you anything at all. He made it clear to anyone who would listen to him that you wouldn't see a penny of the estate. Wonder what could have changed his mind…?"

Elsa narrowed her eyes. There was something she didn't like hidden underneath that question, an almost answer that hung just out of her reach, mocking her. She could _hear_ the smirk in his voice. "And how exactly do you even know my father left me anything?"

"You came home for a reason, didn't you? I can't imagine it was for funerary purposes, not three weeks after the man is cold… oh, no offense meant."

Elsa rolled her eyes. _Interesting,_ she thought, letting Silas' jab roll off her back. _Julien didn't mention anything about Father telling everyone he had disowned me._ She wondered, not for the first time, just how much the Westergaards knew.

And she wondered if Hans had anything to do with it.

"Kai informed me that Weselton has made you police commissioner," she started in an attempt to change the subject. She heard him scoff but ignored it. "That's quite a high honor."

"Yes, can you imagine that the old weasel actually picked someone other than one of his great-grandchildren?" He had a tone in his voice that Elsa found discomforting than his usual smug tone. "About time he picked somebody with actual skill in something other than kissing up to his wrinkled ass."

Elsa rolled her eyes. "What prompted him to hire you?"

"Father put in a good word." She could hear the smile in his voice and swallowed down her own scoff. She shouldn't be surprised, but he wasn't even _hiding_ it.

_But of course… how does anybody get anywhere in this city without the good, 'honest' word of their family propping them up?_

Elsa frowned. Her father had never propped her up for anything. She wondered if she should feel envious about this fact or not.

When the phone rang next, Elsa was half-dreading who would pick up on the other end, until she heard Owen's cheerful voice respond. Out of all the Westergaard brothers, Elsa thought she liked him the most, and he was the only one of the bunch who didn't mistreat Hans in some way, though they held a somewhat cold if cordial relationship. As the twelfth in line, he suffered his fair share of pranks and snide commentary from the older brothers, and seemed just as invisible in the eyes of his parents. He often spent his time joining Elsa and sometimes Hans during their downtime, but she still didn't see him nearly as often as she saw his younger brother. Maybe it was an age thing, Elsa thought, though then she remembered Hans himself was two years her senior. So maybe it wasn't Owen at all, but rather Hans' insistence in spending as much time with Elsa as could be managed.

Elsa didn't like that thought.

"Els? You there?"

Elsa blinked, shaking herself out of her strange train of thought. "Yes, sorry, I got… distracted."

"Hm, that's understandable. I bet you've got a lot going on. If you want, we can talk later? So you can get back to it all?"

"No, no, you're fine." Elsa leaned back into her seat, twisting her head this way and that, relishing the soft cracks and pops. She had been sitting for too long. "I need a break from all this anyways."

"Heh, yeah, I always found the economics of everything so boring. Guess that's what I have my brothers for. Can't count on me to make heads or tails of any of that nonsense." He gave a loud, suffering sigh, and Elsa repressed a giggle. "Well, anyways, how's Arendelle been treating you? Haven't seen you around the town since you got here."

"That's because I haven't been out. I've been stuck in here dealing with the mess my father left me." Elsa frowned. Perhaps she shouldn't have said that. She never suspected Owen of anything nefarious against her family, unlike… just about every other Westergaard. But perhaps she should suspect him. He was one of the of the ones left behind by the family to look after Arendelle, and somehow, Elsa doubted it was just solely to be rid of him.

_The least likely is usually the most likely,_ Elsa thought absently, and her stomach dropped. Her father had told her that once. She didn't realize it had stuck with her.

Nonetheless, Owen didn't say anything to give him away, giving a sympathetic hum instead. "I still can't believe he's dead. He was in perfect health, as far as I could tell."

Elsa startled at that. She had been told her father died in his sleep due to poor heart conditions.

"I remember when we were kids playing hide and seek," Owen continued, unaware of Elsa's mild panic. "Once I hid out on the roof of the house. The tirade he had when you guys finally found me… heh, I can still remember his lecture to this day." His voice dropped an octave into a gruff mimicry of her father's voice, sounding nothing like him. "'If I catch you up there even one more time, I'll tan your hide and mount it on the wall of my study.' Wouldn't that have been a sight for you to return to, huh, Els?"

Elsa had to laugh at that, despite her stomach churning unpleasantly. "Not something I would want to see while taking care of business, no. Why were you even on the rooftop, anyways?"

"What better hiding spot is there! It was a piece of cake, anyways, one small traversal spell and—presto! Of course, the traversal spell to get back down wasn't as simple. I was too drained after the first one. It worked, though, didn't it? You guys couldn't find me without the help of the staff."

"It sent your mother into hysterics."

"Yeah, it did." He said it in a voice that gave Elsa the picture of a fond smile, as if he relished the memory of his mother panicking over his well-being. Maybe he did. It wasn't something that happened often, after all.

"Hey, are you doing anything on the 11th?" he suddenly asked, startling Elsa and giving her slight mental whiplash. "I have an extra ticket to the races. Hans said he's too busy, and Silas practically laughed me out of the room. You know how he gets… and like hell I'm gonna ask Julien. He'll just call it a waste of time. So, how about it? Wanna come?"

Elsa thought about it. She had never held a particular interest in the races, magical or not. But… a day out of the stuffy office and away from the lingering memories of her father would do her some good. And, as much as she hated to admit it, she did miss their little adventures around the city, causing all kinds of trouble along the way.

Though, she supposed they had both long outgrown any mischief. Going to the races felt so… grown-up for Owen.

She smiled and said, "I'd love to."

"Great!" And she could tell from the smile she heard in his voice that she had made his day. "The races start at twelve o'clock, so I'll be by your house around eleven."

Elsa raised an eyebrow. "So early?"

"Gotta get the good seats, Els," Owen laughed.

It was all like no time had passed, the way they spoke. As if she had always been there.

Elsa found herself wishing, once again, for some unmistakable sign of her absence.

* * *

Elsa had been sitting in the gardens for three hours.

Tonight, she had brought with her a collection of poems. The oldest poem in the book was dated circa the 11th century, written in an older tongue her mind strained to remember. It had been so long since she had practiced her languages. Nonetheless, she enjoyed them all, and as she listened to the city wind down, the crickets begin their symphonies, her mind relaxed from the stress of the day. She felt her shoulders lower from the stiff posture she had been holding all day, felt her breathing come naturally, soft and slow. Her heart was calm.

She had almost missed the gentle humming.

Elsa had come to the gardens every night since her return, and every night, she sat in the exact same spot, on the bench beneath the old willow tree next to the western gates leading out into the city. At first, the reason had simply been because she remembered it as her favorite spot back when she still lived in Arendelle. She was elated, for once, to see that it had not changed. Part of her worried her father would tear the tree down, remove the bench, bar the gates, all out of spite and anger at his daughter for turning her back on him. It would seem he didn't, however, and she was glad for that.

Elsa had relaxed into a childhood favorite, several chapters in, when something peculiar happened.

Around nine thirty, Elsa had heard a voice. It was so soft, it was almost carried away by the wind, but she could hear it, for as soft as it was, it was also proud and demanding attention at its presence. It was the only voice she had heard all night from where she sat, as the staff had left her and the town life had long since halted near as soon as the sun began to set. It was startling, and didn't really seem to belong in the quiet, dreary night-time atmosphere of Arendelle. The tune was cheerful, bright like the sun, but also spoke of heartache, a hidden betrayal.

Elsa found herself stuck between wishing she could hear nothing but that voice, and also wanting to never hear it again.

From her perch on the bench, she had heard it from behind the wall, out in the streets. She heard it approaching closer with every second, and then it was right behind her. She turned and stared at the wall, following the sound of the voice with her eyes. When she reached the gates, she saw a shadow cross it.

There was the briefest flash of green, and a shiver ran up her spine.

_That girl…_

Since Elsa hadn't been out in the city, she hadn't caught another glimpse of the strange girl from the night of her arrival. Truthfully, she had mostly forgotten about her, so deep into dealing with everything that she didn't have a thought to spare for her. When the brothers called that day, she had completely forgotten to ask them about the girl until long after she had hung up on them. She hadn't asked Kai yet, either.

And now here she was, walking so close by, humming to herself as if the rest of the world didn't even exist.

Elsa hadn't gotten the courage to talk to her quite yet. The next day she finally dredged herself out of the pit of frustration and anxiety the day usually brought her and asked Kai about the girl in green. His only response was a grimace and the shake of the head as he poured her a cup of tea. At her inquiring glance, he shook his head again, saying, "Leave it, Elsa."

When she asked the rest of the staff, their eyes went wide… with _fear_, and they likewise shook their heads and turned back to their work.

Their reactions had only worsened her curiosity.

That night, her second one in Arendelle, she almost _did_ talk to the girl. She had stood up from the bench, ready to approach her. But then the girl's humming stopped. Elsa paused, listening, and could have sworn she heard footsteps approaching. Very _fast_ footsteps approaching. A shadow crossed the gates from the other side of the street. Then she heard what she assumed to be the girl's own footsteps walking back the way she had come, the other following her. Elsa waited for another twenty minutes, hoping to hear her humming once again, but only silence answered.

_She's here now,_ Elsa thought, holding her breath in anticipation as she followed the sound of her voice down its usual path. It was right behind her from beyond the wall when she stood. She saw the shadow cross the gates. The flash of green.

Elsa's heart jumped several times, swallowing the nervous energy back down as she reached the gates. The girl was still humming, still walking down the street with not a care to be had. Elsa unlocked the gate doors as quietly as she could, but when she pushed one open, it gave a loud squeak. The girl stopped, falling silent. Elsa stood still, watching her carefully. She was like a statue frozen, never seeming to take a breath. Elsa realized she was still holding her own and released it slowly.

The girl turned to face her and Elsa's heart jumped to the top of her head, along with whatever breath was left in her lungs. She had almost forgotten how beautiful the girl was. Here, seeing her close up, she realized just how _many_ freckles the girl had. They painted her face, dusting across her cheeks and the bridge of her nose. When she blinked, Elsa noticed several on her eyelids. Her eyes, as well… they were teal, Elsa knew, but now she could see specks of gold outlining her pupils. They watched her now with clear curiosity, widening in recognition. Her skin was pale, but seemed to glow in the light of the moon. And her copper blonde hair… it was a little messy, strands of hair poking out, bangs falling in disarray over her eyes, but then they pulled into two neat little braids. This close, Elsa noticed a single white strand in her right braid, standing out in such a stark contrast she was surprised she had missed it before.

Her lips were full and rosy, parted slightly in surprise, with an eerie twist at the corner.

Elsa looked over her and swallowed, now suddenly unsure of herself. Heat rose to her cheeks. This girl was so beautiful, it was almost astounding. For whatever reason, Elsa had thought her so young when she first saw her. Now that she had a closer, longer look, Elsa could tell she wasn't just a girl, but a young woman. Likely younger than her, but not by much. It… it was a bit alarming.

Elsa looked back to the girl's face. She hadn't said a word, still staring at her with that strange, wide look in her eyes. Elsa fidgeted slightly. The quiet was getting to her. She missed her humming.

Elsa smiled, holding her hands behind her back. "Your voice is quite lovely."

That seemed to wake the girl up from whatever trance she had fallen in, her whole body startling, her eyes blinking. A dazzling light sparked in her eyes, her lips widened into a beautiful smile, the skin around her eyes crinkling. She turned to fully face Elsa, shoulders bunched up to her neck as she laughed. Elsa's heart fluttered. It was the most beautiful laugh she had ever heard.

"You think so?" she asked, and Elsa was taken aback again. Her voice was very young, high-pitched, with a slight rasp that spoke of inexperience. She was a girl who had only just entered womanhood. "I-I'm not much of a singer, truth be told. I mean, I like to sing! It's fun! I-I just never really thought of myself as one. It's more of a, uh, a nervous habit. Or something. I never got, like, y'know," she waved her hands, "professional tutoring or anything of the sort. My mama always said I had a naturally pretty voice, but I think she was just biased. Nobody else seems to like it when I sing, though, sooo I just stick to humming. Though, they don't like that, either. You're the first one to say anything good about it, really!" The girl stopped suddenly, closing her eyes as she let out a long exhale. Her bangs fluttered. "Oh boy, I'm still talking."

Elsa covered her mouth with the back of her hand as she giggled. _Oh,_ she was _absolutely_ adorable. This wasn't good for Elsa's heart.

"It's quite alright," she said when the girl gave her a sheepish smile. "Like I said, you have a lovely voice."

The girl's cheeks turned a bright red and she bit her lower lip, eyes turning down to the ground as she brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "Ah, thank you. You're very kind."

Elsa smiled, and the girl smiled brightly back. Elsa felt her cheeks warm. She cleared her throat and said, "Forgive me if this is too forward, but… I haven't seen you around here before."

The girl's smile seemed to falter for a half-second before twisting crookedly. Her eyes turned away and she fiddled with the end of one of her braids. "Oh? Well, I haven't seen _you_ around, either. But guessing from where we are, I'd say you're Elsa Beaumont, yes?"

Elsa blinked. Well, speaking of forward. She wasn't sure why that observation had surprised her; anyone in Arendelle should know who she is. Perhaps it was just because she didn't know the girl, and having somebody she didn't know, know who _she_ was… was just a bit unnerving.

Something mischievous twinkled in the girl's eyes and her crooked smile grew. Elsa smiled. It was a charming image.

"Yes, you'd be correct in that guess. I'm Elsa." She held out her hand. It only served her well to be polite, after all, and the girl hadn't proved herself to be anything but kind so far.

The girl took her hand in a firm shake. Her hand was strangely cold and clammy, enough that Elsa felt it through her glove. "Nice to meet you, Elsa! It makes sense why you haven't seen me, you left three years ago, right? I only showed up a little after you left."

"Really?" That was odd, too. Outsiders didn't usually move to Arendelle. When they did it was a big deal, as they would have to assimilate to Arendelle's customs and take up the ways of magic, which could not be inherited by outsiders. The last time someone outside of the city had moved into Arendelle was six years ago, and she remembered the scandal _that_ caused. "What brings you to Arendelle, then?"

The girl shrugged, letting out a small giggle. "Nothing important. Say!" Elsa startled as the girl suddenly jumped towards her, hands raised up and fingers intertwined underneath her chin as she bounced from foot to foot. Her eyes were wide and excited, her lips parted in an open smile. "Could you do me a _huuuge_ favor?"

Elsa's mouth opened as if to say something, but she found her voice not working. This girl's sudden excitement had thrown her off-kilter. She shook her head to gather her thoughts, and said, "I suppose I could… what's the favor?"

The girl giggled and grabbed Elsa by the hand. "Come on, this way!" Then she ran off away from the estate, pulling Elsa sharply behind her.

They ran through the streets of Arendelle, their feet hitting the cobblestones loudly. The girl was a giggling mess, stringing Elsa along with such force she was worried her shoulder would be pulled out of its socket. But Elsa couldn't help the large smile adorning her face now, her own giggles seeping through. The girl's energy was certainly infectious.

But as they made their way into the heart of the city, Elsa couldn't shake off that feeling of being watched yet again. Her eyes roved around the streets, peering through the clinging fog. She saw a few distant silhouettes, but they vanished quickly. One man peeked out of his door, casting wary glances down the street, but upon seeing them, quickly crossed himself and ran back inside, slamming the door. Elsa could spy several sets of eyes peeking past window curtains. Shops were still open, but nobody seemed to be inside, looking at any wares they had to offer.

Elsa shivered, drawing in on herself with her free arm. Just _what_ was going on with everybody?

At long last, the girl skidded to a stop in front of a shop. Elsa bumped into her back, muttering an apology, but the girl only turned to her with a wide smile on her face, pointing excitedly at the shop. "There!"

Elsa looked up, and smiled when she realized. "This is the chocolates shop I saw you in front of a few nights ago."

"Mhm!" the girl nodded enthusiastically. "Do you think you could buy me some? The shopkeeper won't sell me any, and I've been craving them for weeks." She propped her hands beneath her chin again and puffed out her lower lip in a pout, eyes turning wide and pleading. "_Pleeease?_ I'll share some with you!"

Elsa choked on her laugh. That was unexpected. But she couldn't say no to a face like that, could she? And really, who could pass up chocolate with a cute girl?

Elsa nodded her head. "Of course, is there anything in particular you want?"

"Truffles!" the girl exclaimed, throwing her arms out wide as if to hug Elsa, but she made no movement to do so. "Strawberry truffles, please! And you can get whatever you want for yourself, of course."

Elsa nodded her head. "Alrighty, then, strawberry truffles it is." Elsa turned away and entered the shop, checking the inside of her jacket pocket for her purse. _Thank God I always keep it on me._

The chocolate shop was very modest, with only a single room and a counter. A door behind the counter led to the back area for the employees. On every shelf was chocolates and sweets of every kind—a platter of various cookies stood proudly in one corner, while Elsa looked down to see an array of different chocolate bars presented in one of the dressers. Elsa felt her mouth water and licked her lips, but shook her head and pulled herself away. They were far too expensive… not that she couldn't afford it. But she didn't feel like emptying her entire coin purse in one night on sweets.

Besides, she kind of wanted some truffles herself.

"Hello," the man working the counter said. He gave her a polite nod, but his eyes flitted dangerously to the window. Elsa looked over her shoulder and saw the girl pressed up against it, peering into the shop with a look of sheer excitement on her face. She only nodded her head eagerly when she and Elsa made eye contact, and Elsa laughed quietly to herself. When she turned back to the man, however, and saw the look in his eyes, all laughter died an abrupt death.

"Yes, hello," she said, clearing her throat. "Could I please order half a dozen strawberry truffles, and half a dozen mint truffles as well, please?"

The man nodded, forcing himself to look away from the window and to the countertop. "Coming right up." As he set about picking out the truffles and filling a small bag, awkward silence clung to the walls. Elsa felt her shoulders stiffen again and she did her best not to fidget.

"Are these for you or for her?" he suddenly asked.

Elsa looked up at him, seeing his stony gaze lingering on her, and shivered. She cleared her throat again and said, "Uh, half are for me, half are for her."

The man frowned, as if trying to make sense of what she said, like it was some big riddle. Finally, he shook his head. Evidently, he couldn't figure it out. "Well, I'm not going to turn away Beaumont money. But if I were you, I'd stay away from that girl."

That knocked the air out of Elsa. She stared at him, mouth agape, as several questions flew through her mind. She thought back to all the dark stares the girl had received on their way over here, to the reactions of Kai and the staff when she asked them about her, to even Hans and the driver on that first night. Elsa shook her head. It didn't make sense… the girl had been the epitome of kind and lovely so far. What caused such vitriol?

Elsa turned back around when she heard the quick pattering of footsteps, but all she saw was a twirl of braids and the girl was gone.

"And what exactly is so wrong with that girl?" Elsa asked, not bothering to hide her own anger. When she turned back, the man was staring at her as if she had asked what was wrong with measles.

"What's _wrong_ with her, ma'am?" the man asked, his voice a hoarse whisper. Elsa only raised an eyebrow, and he shook his head. "She's a demon," he choked out, the words seeming to stick to the inside of his mouth. "A _witch._"

Elsa couldn't contain her glare this time. It sent the man shrinking back, avoiding her gaze. Elsa plopped down several coins onto the countertop. "I'll have my truffles now, please."

The man nodded, sighing. "Certainly, ma'am." He finished bagging them and handed them over. As soon as the bags were in her hand, Elsa turned away and left. As she neared the door, she heard the him call after her.

"I'm warning you, Miss Beaumont, that girl is nothing but trouble. Stay away from her!"

Elsa walked out the door, slamming it shut a bit too forcefully. She let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, letting her anxiety and anger wash away. How exactly did she manage to get so worked up? Over a girl she had just met, and who was admittedly a bit strange?

She thought of that lovely voice humming in the night air, and that infectious smile, that twinkle in her eyes. She heard the man's words in the back of her head. _A demon, a witch._

Elsa looked up and down the street. The girl was nowhere to be seen. Elsa frowned and began to walk a ways down the street and past the shops. She stopped at the corner and looked down the street, but she was still nowhere to be seen.

"Hello?" Elsa looked back down the street where they had come from. "Now just where did you go…?"

"Did you get them?"

Elsa jumped into the air, twirling around with half a shriek caught in her throat. The girl was standing just behind her, leaning forward with her head tilted to the side. And there was her smile, clear as the sun. Elsa had to smile back.

"How do you do that?"

The girl blinked, confused. "Do what?"

"Just disappear and reappear like that? You did it last time I saw you, too."

"Ah," the girl shrugged and spun her body to and fro, fanning out her skirt. "Just something I do. I don't mean to, but, hey, it comes in handy for staying out of sight." She gave a wry little smile before it erupted into a brighter one, leaning forward and dancing from foot to foot. "So? The chocolates? You got them, right?"

There were several questions Elsa now had, but she decided they could wait. The girl _had_ asked a favor of her after all. "Yes, I got them," she said instead, walking forward and handing her the bag with the strawberry truffles in them. "These are yours."

"Oh, thank you thank you _thank_ you so much! You're seriously the best!" The girl swept up the bag into her hand and immediately picked out two truffles, stuffing them into her mouth with gusto. She groaned appreciatively, deep from her core, and licked at the chocolate still coating her fingertips. It was quite a sight, and Elsa realized then she was balking. She had never seen anyone eat anything with such… enthusiasm before. The girl saw the look on her face and laughed, holding the back of her hand to her mouth to catch any crumbs.

_Some demon._

"I take it you like chocolate, then." Elsa said, somewhat stupidly, she realized. For her part, the girl only giggled and nodded with such ferocity Elsa was worried she'd give herself whiplash.

"Mo' 'an an'fing." the girl mumbled through the thick chocolate in her mouth. She again had to press a hand to her mouth, wiping away at the crumbs that threatened to fall out.

Elsa laughed and shook her head. "So then, tell me, since you already know mine, what's your name? Or should I just call you 'little ghost'?"

The girl's eyes went wide and she made a thick choking sound. Elsa felt her smile die on her lips as she rushed forward to help, but the girl waves her off. She thumped her chest and swallowed thickly. After a few seconds of struggling, she took a deep breath and flashed another crooked smile.

"Sorry, that just caught me off-guard." She ducked her head apologetically. "And I should've introduced myself earlier, that was rude of me. My name's Anna!"

_Anna…_ it was a beautiful name. Elsa felt her heart warm at the sound of it, warm even further at the lopsided grin on her face, the way her cheeks bunched and her freckles seemed to get lost in one another. At the smear of chocolate just on the corner of her lips.

"Anna…" Elsa said her name slowly, tasting the sound of it on her lips. She decided she loved it. But there was something missing. "Anna…?"

Anna shrugged. "Just Anna."

Elsa frowned and tilted her head. Anna avoided her gaze. _There's something she's hiding…_

Elsa looked to the smear of chocolate and smiled wickedly. "Well, _just_ Anna… you have some chocolate on your face."

Anna blinked, rubbing her hand over her lips. The action only seemed to make it worse, and it made Elsa laugh hard, holding her sides as they began to ache. Anna pouted, rubbing harder at the spot on her face before looking down at her fingertips. She shrugged, then licked the chocolate away. Elsa wiped a tear away from her eye.

They walked back to the estate in easy silence, eating their chocolates. Anna had devoured hers pretty quickly, whereas Elsa chose to savor hers. She wanted to try to save them for the busy days ahead of her, something to treat herself to when it all got too tiring. It was delicious, though, and she was tempted to follow in Anna's footsteps and eat them all in one go. She watched Anna upend the bag and collect the crumbs in her hand, watched her lick them up and hum in delight.

"Chocolate is the best thing ever," she said with finality.

Elsa giggled and nodded. She found she couldn't disagree with that statement.

As they approached the garden gates, Elsa turned back to look at Anna. She stood there, all alone, in the middle of the road. With the street lights casting shadows on her, the moonlight glowing on her skin, Elsa could see, maybe, just how she could impose such a frightening figure. Her eyes shined bright, her face cast in darkness. But then Elsa _really_ looked at her, saw the lopsided smile, the twinkle in her eye, the way she fidgeted nervously at the end of a braid.

"Thank you so much, Elsa," Anna said in a quiet voice, and her smile turned sad all of a sudden. "For the chocolates… and everything else."

Elsa decided then that she would be friends with Anna, and to hell with everyone else.


	3. Responsibilities

**A/N:** here's where things start to get a little spoopy~

**tw:** death, descriptions of gore and blood

* * *

**3**

**Responsibilities**

* * *

"C'mon, Spitfire! You got this!"

Elsa watched with some amusement as Owen jumped forward, hands clenched in fists and a wide smile breaking out on his face. His jacket had long since been discarded, thrown haphazardly over his chair, his undershirt's sleeves rolled up past his elbows, brown hair all a muss after running his hands through it several times in the past… at _least_ five minutes, Elsa thought as she checked her watch. She rested her hand on his shoulder and tried to ease him back down into his seat.

"He's in the lead, Owen, you can calm down now."

Owen looked to her with such offense she almost laughed. "Elsa, you play chess, don't you? You know better than to think like that! Just because you're in the lead, it doesn't mean you'll win for sure. Look!" Owen pointed to the white black-spotted horse just a breath behind his beloved chestnut. "Domino is already gaining speed!"

Elsa sighed and looked down at the brochure. All the horses' names were printed in fine gold lettering, small drawings inked out next to their names to further identify who was who. At the top of the brochure, written with a flourish, read the words, _Celebrating the 214th Annual Arendelle Natural Horse Race! Don't miss it!_

There were two types of horse races in Arendelle: those with actual horses and those with summons. Every year the best puppet magicians would gather and summon grand horses woven from light to race against one another. The nature of their magic made it even more exciting, as the magicians could manipulate every small movement of their summons, and so would have to be careful with how they controlled them to race. There was a degree of strategy to the magic races unlike anything else, and the seats were always crowded. It was considered by most in Arendelle to be superior to the natural races. Where the jockeys had to be mindful of their beast's own autonomy and their skittishness and personalities could ruin an otherwise decent run, the magicians held no such worries. The summons were completely under their control.

But there was still something to be said for watching real horses in their natural beauty and speed, racing against each other, their hooves beating a thunderous applause of their own. While the magic horses could make sound, the magicians often kept their steeds quiet as a way to sneak up on the others, and the magic races were well-known for the tense hush that fell over the stadium, broken only occasionally by the announcer's cool and steady voice. The natural races were much louder, with the audience laughing and cheering and yelling much like Owen was doing just now, and the announcers' spitting commentary as rapid-fire as the racing itself. So while the stadium was much smaller and the crowds not as full, it felt, in Elsa's opinion, much more exuberant than the magic races.

Not that Elsa had a preference. To be honest, she never particularly liked any of the races. Her father had taken her to plenty, both natural and magic as he found there to be something to appreciate from both. But she had found the excitement a bit too much for her to handle, setting her on pins and needles as she watched the contestants often neck and neck. Despite that, oddly enough, she also found it boring, fingers itching to do something, like turn the pages of a book or move chess pieces.

Now chess, _that_ was a game she could get behind. Again, Arendelle had championships for both natural and magic chess, and much like her father enjoyed the races, she enjoyed watching pieces of black and white moved in a quiet, tense display of strategy just as much as she enjoyed the flurry and activity of glyph magicians in cutthroat pragmatism. Her father, for his part, enjoyed playing chess with her in the living room, but could never be bothered to attend the championship games with her.

A loud piercing blare of a horn and the crowd roaring in jubilation startled Elsa out of her memories and back into the game. She looked up to see Owen jumping up, whooping and clapping his hands with glee. On the field, the horses had come to a stop. It would seem that Spitfire had won, with Domino just behind him.

"That's five hundred crowns for me!"

Elsa shot an incredulous look at Owen. "You did _not_ bet five hundred crowns!"

"I didn't!" Owen said, holding his hands out as if to ward off a sudden attack. "I only bet fifty. But the lads at the lodge each bet a hundred crowns Spitfire would lose, as a way to spite me. And there was some gentleman back there at the window who had bet fifty against me on Silhouette winning. He was quite certain about it, too." Owen cackled and ran his hands together as he plopped back in his seat. "I can't wait to see all their faces."

"And what," Elsa started slowly, "do you plan on spending all five hundred of those crowns on, exactly?"

Owen flashed her a self-sure smile, snapping his fingers in excitement. "Wouldn't you know it, I've had my eye on a few things the past week."

"Oh? What would they be?"

"First," Owen held up a finger to the sky, "a beautiful red vest lined with protective glyph magic, with engraved brass buttons. It would really look handsome on me at Julien's holiday party, don't you think? I've had the tailor shop hold onto it for me until I had enough crowns for it."

"And now you do?" Elsa asked.

"Almost, it's six hundred crowns." He shook his head when Elsa gaped at him. "Don't worry, though! I have another bet lined up for the day. I bet Richard eighty crowns that Baby Lucky and Black Sun would tie for first place in the hurdle races. He thinks I've gone mad. We'll see who goes mad when _I_ collect the wins."

"That's still twenty crowns short, Owen," Elsa pointed out, and her eyes widened as he cackled to himself. "If you say you have another bet lined up, Owen, your parents will have to bury what's left of you in a handbasket after your brothers find out."

"No, no!" he said, waving his hands excitedly. "No more bets, I promise! But don't worry about it, I have it figured out. And I'll have more than enough for some new shoes, as well, even some hunting boots!"

"Didn't you say you had your eye on a few things?" Elsa smirked, holding her chin in her hand. "And yet you don't even have enough crowns for the vest."

Owen dismissed her worries with a wave of his hand. "I told you, I have it all figured out."

"It's not like you don't have enough money for these things anyways, Owen," Elsa shook her head, feeling her exasperation pull at her. "What's even the point of all this?"

"Point?" Owen asked, blinking as if he had never considered it before. A wide smile tugged at his lips and he gestured widely to the spectacle in front of them. "Why, no point at all. It's just fun!"

"You always seem to have a strange surplus of personal funds. Even before I left, I remember you had pockets overflowing with crowns. Where do you even get half of the money you have?"

Owen didn't respond, only gave her a cheeky smile and put his finger to his lips.

That worried Elsa, truthfully. She had to remind herself that Owen was a Westergaard. He was raised by the same scheming family as Hans, and on top of that, had been left back in Arendelle by his parents to look after their assets here in their hometown, which betrayed a lot of trust on their part. Maybe it really was just an effort to be rid of him, but Elsa knew better than to dismiss such a concern. And now realizing, with a start, that Owen always had secrets of his own, Elsa wondered just how much more he was truly hiding from her.

But watching the way he leaned forward, rubbing his hands together, that characteristic spark of excitement in his eyes, Elsa couldn't help but smile. This was the part of Arendelle that she missed. Spending time with Owen, away from dreary meetings and business studies and their fathers' overbearing expectations. When they could be friends and act their ages, enjoying all the town had to offer them. Owen's antics always made for a much more spirited companion than her father or any of her staff—or even Hans, acting polite and unassuming as ever when in her presence. Owen would constantly get her into trouble with pranks and games, always taking the blame of course, but never stopping. Sometimes they walked through the park, him babbling excitedly about some horror novella he read, while she spoke of the poems and fairy tales from her father's library. He tried to play chess with her, or join her and Hans to the opera, but he was rather wretched at chess, far too impatient to focus, and she always found him nodding off not long into the opera. But he made an effort, and that was what truly mattered.

Sitting like this, talking and joking with one another, Elsa could forget that they had any responsibilities to upholding their own family legacies. That they were, in actuality, enemies.

Her father had never liked her friendship with the boy, or even her forced arms-length niceties with Hans, though he understood the necessity of it all. While the Beaumont and Westergaard families were two of the oldest families in Arendelle, having built it, they were also always at each other's throats for greater power. Westergaards' forte was ambition, and they spread out easily into other cities, widening their overall control of the North. But here within Arendelle's walls, the Beaumont name held the most prestige, and the older Westergaards could never quite mask their envious anger. But they had to make nice, or else risk a great panic among the aristocrats.

"Never let your guard down around them, Elsa," her father would say. "They may act friend but they are nothing more than thieves and murderers. There is no innocent Westergaard. To be born a Westergaard is to be born guilty."

Elsa sighed and let her shoulders droop. _So much for taking time off… I can't even relax with an old friend without being plagued by concerns._

"Something wrong, Els?"

Elsa looked up to see Owen staring at her with concern, his thick brown eyebrows drawn close to a crease that lined his forehead. Down below, the horses were preparing for the jump races. She sighed and shook her head, rubbing furiously at her temples. "It's nothing… just more of the same usual headaches."

"You're out here to have fun, Elsa!" Owen exclaimed, leaning back and gesturing out to the stadium. "Leave the business and family stuff back at home. You can deal with it later."

"I really hope that's not your outlook on everything in life," Elsa drawled, frowning at the wide smile he flashed her.

"Look, Elsa, I'm not saying you _shouldn't_ be focused on all that stuff," he said, mood suddenly sobering, though his smile never left his face. "But every now and then, you need a break—having fun, making memories, spending time to just relax and enjoy yourself with others. It's why I asked you to come! You've only been in Arendelle for three days and you've spent it all cooped up in that stuffy old study. Business is important, but so is your health! Keep it up like this and you'll worry yourself into an early grave."

Elsa looked him over, his earnest smile, the easy cant of his head. With a sigh, she nodded, folding her hands on her lap. "You're right. I need to relax. It's hard not to think about all that's going on, though."

"Oh yeah, I get that," Owen said, nodding his head sagely. "There's a lot going on, with your father's death and the city on the decline. We're having our own woes to deal with as well."

Elsa raised an eyebrow and looked up at that. "Oh?"

Owen grumbled, fiddling with the collar of his undershirt. "Julien's been crankier than usual lately, and even Hans and I have had our hands full. I think Silas has the best out of us all… he just has to worry about the officers that have gone missing."

Elsa's face blanched. "Officers going missing? He didn't mention anything about that on the telephone."

"Doesn't surprise me," Owen said with a shrug, though there was a dark look on his face that didn't match the casual nature of the gesture. "Silas thinks he can handle it, doesn't wanna get anybody else involved." He paused for a moment, face scrunching up as he seemed to think deeply over his own words. A few seconds passed and he heaved a great big sigh, shaking himself all over. "Several have gone missing the past few years. Nobody knows where to, or how. It's like they just… vanished, without a trace. And all their belongings are still in their homes, where they last left them."

"Past few years…" Elsa muttered to herself, and she was reminded of something. "I'm guessing just after I left?"

Owen froze in his seat, eyes flicking up to meet hers. It was quite fascinating to see Owen Westergaard rendered speechless by anything. He always seemed to have something to say in response. They both sat like that for a moment, completely quiet and still, neither moving or betraying any sense of emotion. Finally, he nodded a confirmation. Elsa hummed to herself.

"Might it have anything to do with everyone's magic weakening?"

"Ah…" Owen gave an uneasy chuckle, his smile misplaced next to the discomfort in his eyes. He rubbed the back of his neck. "So, you know about that."

"Kai was having difficulties with his." Elsa turned to face him fully, ignoring the way his eyes widened in surprise. "When exactly were you planning to tell me all this had happened? Or Hans? Or anyone else?"

Owen held up his hands in a placating gesture. "Please, Els, don't take it out on all of them. And I'm sorry, really, I wanted to tell you! But the last thing you need to hear when coming home to your father's death is that the city's troubles happened to coincide with your leaving. We all knew you would hear about everything and all the rumors eventually, but we were hoping you could at least deal with your family affairs without worrying about the town's problems."

Elsa studied him, the sad smile alighting his lips, the concern in his eyes. His words made sense but she knew he couldn't be that naive. Owen was too smart to believe that somehow all this wouldn't get to her through her own staff.

"Owen, my family and this town are one and the same," she finally said, sinking low in her chair as she felt her frustrations ebb away and turn into exhaustion. "The town's problems would become my problems sooner or later. And by design, their happenstance makes it sooner. You had to realize this."

Owen sighed, giving in. "You're right, it was dumb of us to think like that. On behalf of my brothers, Elsa, I really am sorry for keeping you in the dark."

"Aright," Elsa hummed, nodding. "I accept your apology." She would have to find it agreeable, and she could tell Owen meant it. He eased back into his seat, his face relaxing into his usual bright and sunny smile.

"It really is uncanny…" Elsa thought out loud, "how everything seems to have happened after I left." She remembered the the night before, people hurrying back indoors as she and Anna rushed past them to get to the chocolates shop. The thought of Anna brought a slight smile to her lips.

"Enough of this doom and gloom!" Owen suddenly exclaimed, causing her to jump. "The hurdle races are about to start!" He leaned forward, rubbing his hands together. "C'mon Lucky, c'mon Sun! Make me rich!"

Elsa laughed despite herself. Down below, the horses had lined up before the hurdles, and the crowd was chanting wildly. A horn sounded, sending them off, and Owen jumped up excitedly as a beige horse and a black horse with a bright white spot on its forehead charged ahead of the others, leaping over the hurdles with perfect precision. It would appear he would win this bet, too.

The thought of Anna, however, sent Elsa far away from the race. She wondered what the young woman was up to at this time. Did she enjoy events like these races, and did she prefer magic or non-magic? Speaking of, what kind of magic _could_ she perform? As an outsider, she would have to be taught in the ways of magic by somebody. Usually something befitting a profession, but it didn't seem that Anna had one, not an obvious one, anyways. Elsa pictured something bright and whimsical as her magic. Maybe Anna's powers lied in music. With a voice as lovely as hers, she could craft enchanting songspells that could capture the whole city in a trance, uplift the spirits of men or, conversely, sink them into spiraling pits of despair, though Elsa couldn't see her doing such a thing. Or maybe a healing kind of magic, mending broken bones and curing debilitating illnesses. Anna's own energy could be a balm for depression, if Elsa was being honest.

Nature magic was another! Since she was not a Kinsley, Anna could not harness Spring magic the same way Elsa's Winter magic worked, but she could picture flowers blooming wherever she walked, the clouds parting and sunlight following behind her. Certainly more beautiful than Elsa's own. She liked her magic, but it could be… depressing. And, well, cold. Elsa loved the feeling of the sun on her skin. It offset the natural ice in her veins quite well. During winter months, she would cuddle in a blanket and drink hot chocolate next to a fire. The cold didn't exactly bother her, but the warmth was pleasing, and she missed it in those dark and dreary months.

Perhaps it was silly to try to pin down Anna's powers based on her personality. Elsa had spent such a pitifully short time with her, could she really say she knew her so well? And yet it felt that way. Anna's excitement was genuine, that much she could gather, and while she felt something lurked deeper beneath that smile, she knew it was real. Elsa found herself wishing for Anna's company then and there, to get to know her more. To understand her more. To ask her questions. To hear her laughter.

"I should bring Anna here next time," Elsa thought out loud without realizing it.

Elsa had never heard the world turn silent before, but in that moment, that was all she could think of. The crowd below, the horses down in the field, it all seemed to get sucked away in the breath after she spoke those words. And next to her, she could feel, rather than hear or see, the complete stillness of her companion, as if he stopped breathing, or his heart stopped beating. She didn't dare to look at Owen, but somehow, she could sense the anxiety showing through his face. Elsa's own heart seemed to skip several beats, her knuckles aching as she gripped her hands tightly together in her lap. The coldness in her veins seemed to seep through to her skin.

It felt like an eternity, the two of them just sitting there, waiting for someone to say something. Finally, she heard Owen shift in his seat, and he gave a dry, mirthless chuckle.

"Oh… so, you've met Anna?" he asked. Elsa turned her head and saw the forced smile on his face, how wide his eyes were.

"So you know Anna." Elsa said. She knew Hans had been hiding something about the girl. Hearing Owen speak of her with familiarity only confirmed her fears.

"Ah, yes," Owen cleared his throat, focusing his attention back on the race. Black Sun and Baby Lucky had tied, as he predicted, but he seemed to have lost his enthusiasm for it. "I know Anna."

"Hans seemed upset when we saw her on the way home from the train. He refused to tell me anything about her." Elsa tilted her head and gave Owen a scrutinizing look, raising an eyebrow when he winced. "Do you mind telling me what's going on?"

"Look, Els," Owen said, his words coming a little too quickly, and Elsa had to listen carefully to understand. "It was all of us, not just Hans. We all decided not to tell you about Anna. We'd wait for you to find out, but we didn't wanna worry you, with everything going on."

Elsa blinked, processing his words. "Wait, _all_ of you?"

Owen nodded. "Julien made the executive decision that none of us were to speak to you about Anna. It was a fluke that you two saw her when you did. It shouldn't have happened, but… she's not exactly predictable in where she chooses to spend her nights."

Elsa frowned, eyeing him warily. "Why would your brother decide not to tell me?"

"He said you had enough on your plate with your father's death and the estate," Owen explained. "Anything that had to do with Anna, we would take care of it. He didn't want you involved at all."

"Okay, stop," Elsa raised a hand, frowning and rubbing her temple with the other. The migraine was returning. "There are several things here you need to explain to me."

Owen paused, chewing on his bottom lip in thought. His hands clenched and unclenched slowly. She could feel his anxiety, his worry about his brothers. Elsa knew it was unfair to corner him and force him to tell her everything, but she was a little sick and tired of all the secrets. She didn't come back to Arendelle to be kept in the dark anymore. She wanted answers.

"Right," Owen finally started with a shrug, as if to say, why not. "Well, the cat's already out of the bag, so, might as well." A horn blew, signalling another race, but neither of them were paying attention anymore. Owen took another deep breath, and then resumed speaking.

"Anna showed up in Arendelle about a month after you left. None of us know where she came from, or what she was doing here, but it was clear pretty early on she was here to stay. As you can imagine, Weselton and the council were quite miffed. The way she just _showed_ up didn't sit well with them, but Anna was granted citizenship all the same. She moved into the old house by the waterfall, and every now and then she comes out at night to traverse the city."

"Only at night?" Elsa blinked. She just realized she hadn't seen Anna at all on the carriage ride from her house to the stadium, and the only times she had ever seen or heard her at all was deep into the dead of night.

Owen nodded. "After she moved in, people started noticing all the weird things going on. Crops and animals dying, magic diminishing, businesses losing money. Most everyone blamed Anna for it. Some said you cursed the town by leaving and turning your back on your father." He winced. "I don't believe it, of course! It's all nonsense!"

Elsa sighed and shook her head. "I know you wouldn't believe that, Owen. Still, it does… explain a few things."

Owen gave a sad smile. "I'm guessing people weren't too happy to see you spending time with Anna, yes? How exactly did you two meet?"

Elsa gave a fond smile. "She was walking by the gardens. I heard her humming. I just wanted to talk to her, see who she was. Then she asked me to get her chocolates."

Owen barked out a laugh, eyes now sparkling with their usual mirth. "Yeah, that sounds like Anna, alright."

"So, how do you know her? Or spend time with her? If everyone thinks she's a curse?" Elsa thought back to the chocolates shop owner's words and pursed her lips in disgust. Owen saw and smiled sadly.

"Another executive decision by Julien. You know how he gets…" Owen cleared his throat and altered his voice to a higher, posher voice, another poor imitation of his. "'Oh, the _poor girl,_ she's all _alone_ in this city and _no one_ will give her the time of day. _We_ should help her.'"

Elsa frowned. That didn't seem like Julien at all. Then again, he did have something of a chivalrous side to him, mostly for the benefit of appearing charitable. That was likely his sole reason for his decision, to look like he was so brave and righteous by helping a lonely young woman who had been unfairly turned away by the rest of the city.

But… she wondered…

"What about my father? Or Weselton? Or the Kinsleys?"

Owen's face suddenly turned into an uncharacteristic scowl as he spat, "Weselton's a spineless weasel. He wanted nothing to do with the girl. As soon as he saw the rest of the aristocracy condemn her, he was all but ready to throw her out of the city. If it weren't for your father and Julien, he would have. And if we weren't Westergaards, we likely would also have been cast out."

Elsa's eyes widened, her breath sucked in, but her anger at Weselton disappeared with Owen's other words. "My father… he helped too?"

"In a way," Owen said. "He agreed to help Julien and us look after her, but… I don't think he really liked her." He suddenly scoffed, a cheerless smile on his face, as if amused by his own words. "That's certainly a way to describe it.

Elsa frowned. That _did_ sound like her father.

"As for the Kinsleys, you know them," Owen continued, shaking his head. "They won't get involved in anything that has a chance to muddy their hands too much, but they sure do enjoy the show.

"Anyways, Anna's mostly just stuck to herself. Though she does come to Julien's parties, she tends to stay in the library. Hans and I will give her some company when we're not busy 'mingling with the rich and powerful' as Father used to call it." Owen rolled his eyes. "I think she prefers to be alone anyways."

_I don't think she does,_ Elsa thought, but she kept it to herself. It's not like she knew the girl that well anyways. From the sounds of it, Owen had far more to go off of, if he and his brothers had spent the past three years befriending her. Elsa looked out to the field where the race was just about to finish. She wondered how much longer until they were done.

"I don't suppose I can convince you to keep away from her," Owen said with a wry smile. "For the sake of your reputation."

Elsa raised an eyebrow but matched his smile. "You can't."

"I expected nothing less," Owen said, holding his hands up. "Just promise me you'll be careful, Elsa. Everyone's already talking about you."

Elsa frowned, her nose twitching. She cracked each individual knuckle on her hand one by one, thinking over all she just learned very carefully. A small spark of cold rage simmered in the hollow of her chest.

"I'm meeting with Weselton and the council tonight," she said.

Owen's face turned dark. "Please, Elsa, I'm begging you. Do _not_ bring up Anna."

The horn blew below as the horses crossed the finish line. The cheer of the crowd almost drowned out her response.

"We'll see."

* * *

"Miss Beaumont, what a pleasure to finally see you again."

When Elsa walked into the room, she took a moment to look everyone over. Weselton, as usual, sat in his high-backed chair at the end of the room, elevated so that he towered above the rest of the room. On either side of him were six seats for the councillors, the powerful men who provided the backbone of Arendelle. Elsa knew the names of all of them but most of them were a blur to her, the same stoic old faces all giving her dark, apprehensive stares. Only a few faces really stood out to her.

Sitting on the direct right of Weselton was Richard Addington III, a man with such a pompous name it bordered on parody. Dressed in only the very finest of clothing, his salt and pepper beard neatly trimmed, the smuggest most condescending smile on his face as he leaned forward to glare her down, his hands neatly folded with each other. It was an open secret that he was under the thumb of the Westergaards, and so Elsa knew that anything he did and said was sponsored heavily by Julien and his brothers. She watched him sneer at her and resisted the urge to sneer back.

On the other side, leaning casually in his seat with a foot across his knee, sat Elam Caldwell. The youngest of the council, though the wrinkles around his eyes and white streaks in his hair betrayed his growing age, he was tall, handsome, and ever-so charming. Surprisingly popular with the ladies, he always had one or two on his arms at parties. His attire was not as neat as the others, with no tie and the buttons on his vest all undone, but it still showed him to be a man of wealth and comfort. He gave Elsa an easy smile and wave, and this, she did allow herself to return. Elam was a close friend of her father's.

"Mayor Weselton," Elsa replied coolly, nodding her head at a polite angle. "I apologize for how long it's taken me to meet with you and the council. As you can imagine, I've been quite busy with dealing with my father's death and the estate."

A chorus of mutterings filtered through the room, some in understanding, some dark and conspiratory. For his part, Weselton simply narrowed his beady eyes, giving her a calculating look. Elsa betrayed no thoughts, no emotions. Her father had taught her that part well.

"Yes, yes, of course," Weselton finally said, nodding his head. The rest of the council nodded theirs. "Very well, you may take your seat, Miss Beaumont."

Elsa did so, sliding easily into the chair at the desk at the front of the room. It was placed lower than the councillor seats, and Elsa couldn't help feeling like a chastised little girl, swallowed up by one of the thick armchairs of her father's study, staring up into his shadowed, stern face as he glowered down at her. She blinked, willing the thoughts away, and focused her attention on the small spindly old man who sat several feet before her. He was not cast in shadow, unlike her father, but instead had the light radiating down upon him, so that no one would miss him.

_A spineless old weasel, just like Owen said…_

Weselton cleared his throat. "So, Miss Beaumont, with your father's death and your return to Arendelle, that puts the Beaumont estate and all affiliated businesses in your name."

Elsa nodded. "Yes, sir." That's all this was, just handing over the estate. It was routine. It would entail a lot of paperwork and boring nights but it was necessary. It was—

"Before we do that, however, we will need to see your father's business records."

Elsa stilled. She looked over the faces of the men, stone-cold and peering down their noses at her. Weselton squinted his beady eyes at her again. Richard looked quite pleased with himself. Elam gave her an apologetic smile.

"Wait… what?" Elsa mentally chastised herself. Not the cool and composed response this kind of situation called for.

Richard scoffed. "She's utterly clueless. Perhaps her father didn't teach her very well after all."

White-hot cold burned to the tips of her ears as Elsa leveled a glare his way. The older man only smiled his smug smile and tipped his head up, so that he looked further down at her. There was an uncomfortable shuffling of chairs but Elsa ignored it all.

"My father taught me plenty," she said cooly. She was not going to defend her father, but she wasn't going to let some old snob act high and mighty and sow doubt on her abilities.

"See, Weselton," Richard said, turning away and ignoring Elsa. "This is why little girls like Miss Beaumont are not fit to run things as important as trading. They get offended at the smallest word. The grief is clearly already affecting her."

"God, you sure do love to hear yourself talk, don't you, Richard," Elam laughed uproariously, drawing all attention of the room to him. "Do you even hear yourself speak? Rather than explain the situation you decide to just blather on about things as if you know them." Without waiting for a response, Elam turned to Elsa, "My dear, this is just standard procedure. Your father's death was sudden, as was your return, and before we can sign it off we need to take a look at the business records, to better assess the situation."

There was a murmur of agreement from all but Richard, who only shook his head condescendingly, and Weselton, who never took his beady eyes off of Elsa. Elsa swallowed down her pride and anger, and responded, "The estate is in my inheritance. It's under my father's name."

"But the estate's lands belong to the city," Weselton responded. "Before we can hand it over, we need to know how it is doing. So we will need records of your father's businesses."

"It's standard procedure, Elsa," Elam responded, raising placating hands. "I assure you."

Elsa sighed. There wasn't much that could be done about it. If the Council asked for the business records before signing everything over, she would have to obey. "Very well," she said, "I will compile all records of the estate's business and have them ready for you for our next meeting." The men all nodded their heads, Elam giving a satisfied smile, though Weselton still did not stop glaring down at her suspiciously. "Will that be all for today?"

"I believe that was all on the agenda," Elam responded.

"Just a minute," Richard called out, raising a hand. "I believe there was something else Weselton wanted to talk to Miss Beaumont about?"

"There couldn't possibly be anything more," Elam said, "she's already agreed to the terms we've given her."

"Weselton, what was it you wanted to talk to Miss Beaumont about?" Richard ignored Elam, gesturing towards the mayor.

Weselton's eyes had gotten so impossibly beady that Elsa almost couldn't see them, but she could feel them, boring into her body, desperately searching for answers to questions only God knew. His fists were clenched with force and his shoulders hunched. Elsa almost worried he was going to fling himself off his chair with all the stress he was holding.

Finally, he spoke, quiet but rough, "You were with that girl."

Elsa blinked. The room grew quiet and tense. Elam moved to say something but before he could, she asked, "Anna?"

That broke the tension. Weselton recoiled and then sprang forward, "So you admit it!"

"Now Weselton, calm down," Elam chastised, throwing the man a beleaguered glare. "This has nothing to do with the Beaumont Estate, and unless there was some crime Elsa broke by seeing the girl—"

"She is a menace to society!"

"How?" Elsa asked, not bothering to hide the clipped tone in her voice. All eyes swerved to look at her, shock and bemusement clear.

"Surely the younger Westergaard boys have told you about all that's been going on in your absence?" Richard said darkly, staring her down once again. "You are so close with them, after all…"

Elsa pursed her lips. "I've been informed."

"And so surely you know about the girl's appearance—"

"Until I've seen her committing any kind of devious act, I remain unconvinced of her connection to the problems plaguing the city." Elsa retorted, cutting him off. She allowed herself a smile at the sight of his eyes widening in offense. "She appeared at the wrong place and the wrong time. It happens."

"You can't possibly believe that," Richard scoffed, but then Elam stood.

"Unless Miss Beaumont's night spent with the girl is directly related or affects her estate in any way, I would suggest we drop the matter and let her return to business so that she can give us the records we have asked of her. Yes?"

This time, the murmur was a mix of tense agreement and also uncertainty. Eyes flitted, trying to avoid looking at Elsa, except for a few dark stares. Weselton leaned forward and they all silenced.

"You will not tell us just _what_ you two were doing last night, then?"

Elsa held her head up and leveled a glare his way. "I was in the gardens reading when I heard her pass by. We introduced ourselves and then she asked me to buy her some chocolates."

Elam erupted into laughter, raucous and full of mirth. "Oh, the horrors of late-night shopping. You see, Weselton? Nothing more than a young woman's fancy. No ghastly late-night rituals. We have nothing to worry about here."

"Wait, what?" Elsa turned to Elam. "Rituals? What rituals?"

"Very well," Weselton cut her off, rising from his seat. "I apologize for wasting everyone's time with this. Miss Beaumont, you are free to go." Before waiting for anyone else to say anything, he turned and walked off his dais and out the back door.

Elsa froze in her seat, watching as the Council all got out of the seats and hurried off, eager to be gone. No one would make eye contact with her, except for Richard, who still sat in his seat, rubbing his beard in thought, and Elam, who gestured gently for her to leave. Elsa nodded and removed herself from the chair, walking across the room, her heels clacking against the tile floor the only sound in the room.

When the door closed behind her, Elsa finally allowed herself a moment to gather her thoughts.

_What on earth just happened…_

* * *

Elsa sat in the back of the carriage as it slowly made its way down the street, her thoughts dark and busy.

She didn't know what she was going to do. Well, she knew she could figure it out, but in that moment, it felt she had the weight of the world crashing down on her shoulders. The meeting with Weselton and the Council bounced around in her head like an unending record. She could still see their faces as vividly as if they were still in front of her, the myriad of suspicion and anger and smugness, Weselton's own beady eyes trying to pry her open. Their words sunk into her skin, sharp and painful, though now numbing.

Elsa shook her head. She was thinking in circles, and it was getting her nowhere. Owen was right. She needed to relax.

Elsa checked her watch. It was almost 8 o'clock. She could still try to get something to eat, she supposed, but she was better off just returning home. Kai would be happy to make her some tea and biscuits before she headed to bed. Yes, that would do well for this night. She would miss seeing Anna, but there would be other nights.

A high-pitched shriek shattered the air.

Elsa's head whipped up as the carriage stopped, the driver turning sharply in the direction of the sound, the horses whinnying. The sound came from a street down, long and aching and cut straight through to her heart. It trailed into a hoarse, woeful cry. Several people ran out the doors of the shops, chasing down the source of the cry. Others went out on the balconies of their apartments, looking out with dread on their faces.

Elsa remained still, not knowing what to do at first. As the cry continued however, she made a hurried decision.

"Stay here," she told the driver as she opened the door and jumped out, ignoring his frenzied cries for her to stay in the carriage.

People ran around the corner onto the next street. Elsa followed them and found herself facing a wall of people. Somewhere up ahead she heard someone sobbing, and could see the heads of another wall of people lined up. Nobody was saying anything, but she could see the way their faces paled, their eyes wide with a type of fear that sent her insides churning. Elsa almost walked away, unwilling to see what they were looking at. But curiosity got the better of her, and she shouldered her way past a few men to see—

Elsa felt her heart drop.

The body lay sprawled carelessly on the ground, discarded with clear indifference. Bandages wrapped tightly around the head, stained so heavy with blood Elsa thought at first they were simply dyed red. Limbs twisted grossly, hands and feet cut, leaving dark oozing stumps, jagged bones sticking out. The chest had been cut open, the skin flayed, muscles stripped, bones broken open to expose the cavity within. Even from where she stood, Elsa could see… there was nothing left. The heart was missing, leaving only a dried bloody mess.

Elsa turned her face away, feeling her throat bop and constrict. Suddenly she was thankful she hadn't anything to eat yet. There was already a growing stench, a cloying, sickly sweet smell that threatened to stick to the cobblestones, heavy and wet in the air. Elsa pushed past her disgust and turned back, inching closer to get a better look. All she could really discern was that the person was dressed in fine high fashion clothing, or what was left anyways. Most of the clothing had been reduced to stained rags, but she could make out the vest and fine stitching. She looked around at the crowd, their eyes all drawn to the horrible spectacle. A lone woman cried in another's arms, from shock or because she knew the victim, Elsa couldn't tell. She heard another woman behind her gasp and she turned to look.

The wall of people had split so she had a perfect view of the figure standing in the middle of the street, of green dress and teal eyes, light copper braids with a single white strand.

Anna stood there, head canted back, eyes transfixed on the body. Her arms hung limply by her side, hands open. Her face was blank, eyes wide but empty, a lack of any human emotion that Elsa could recognize. Her lips were slightly parted, as if to say something, but the words were stolen from her before she could speak them.

Elsa drew in a breath. Her entire posture, her aura… this was not the Anna she had seen before. She looked older, haunted somehow.

_Something isn't right._

Her gasp caused Anna's eyes to flicker to her own, and when they made contact, the girl seemed to wake up from whatever trance she had fallen in. Anna blinked, a mix of emotions racing across her face, before she settled into a sad, lopsided smile reserved only for Elsa. The others around them cast her a dark look, and one man stepped forward.

"You did this…"

Anna shook her head. "I was just walking by. I saw everyone and came over to see what happened."

"Do you expect any of us to believe your lies?" the man spat.

Anna shook her head again, her smile widening. "No." Without saying another word, she turned around and walked off, humming to herself.

The man watched her, fists clenched. He turned around to the rest of the crowd. "Someone fetch the police. We can't let her get away this time."

Elsa turned on him, startling him back. "Don't you dare."

"And what will _you_ do about it?" the man seethed, though he leaned away from her and she could see the fear on his face. "It's not like you care about this city anyways. You weren't here to see all the bodies, or to watch as our beautiful city's magic withered away. You left us to rot! But you'll make a stand for some _outsider?_ Some _witch?_" He scoffed. "You should have never come back. It's clear you don't belong here anymore."

He walked away before she could respond, and several men joined him. She knew they were intent on calling the police, but Elsa wondered if Silas would even do anything. If it was true Julien had ordered his brothers to aid Anna, then likely not. Still, it took every ounce of her willpower not to run after them, not to use her ice magic to stop them.

The stares of everyone weighed down on her, burning through her soul and demanding answers she could not give them. Elsa sighed and turned away from them all. Anymore words would be a waste. Hollow. She wasn't going to even try her luck.

Anna was long gone, the streets empty, with only the sound of horses' hooves and distant broken sobbing to accompany her back home.


	4. Evidence of Guilt, Evidence of Innocence

**A/N:** here's the next chapter! we learn some cool stuff in this one ;)

before you read, tho, I haven important announcement: **there will be no upload next week**

unfortunately, I've gotten behind in writing, so I'll be spending the next two weeks getting back on track, so instead of Ch5 being uploaded next Saturday, **it will be uploaded the Saturday after next** (May 25th instead of May 18th)

so again, no upload next week, but they will resume the week after, and I should stay on the usual weekly schedule after that

anyways, thank you all again for all your support for the fic! I hope you enjoy the chapter! :)

* * *

**4**

**Evidence of Guilt, Evidence of Innocence**

* * *

"You seem distracted today."

Elsa looked up from her plate to give Hans an appraising look. He watched her, eyes roving over her carefully. Concern masked his face well, and he quirked his eyebrows into a frown. His own food remained only partially touched on the plate in front of him.

Elsa sighed and looked out into the city. They were sitting out on the balcony patio, overlooking the street. She could see down several blocks. Across the street, there was some kind of construction going on. Builders were levitating bricks, carefully cut with masonry magic, buckets of cement floating nearby. Some children were playing down the way, brightly colored sparks of magic whizzing into the air, cracking and popping and inducing delighted shrieks of laughter. Elsa watched with some amusement.

When she noticed Hans was still watching her, still and silent as a hawk on the hunt, Elsa turned back towards him with a polite, if tired, smile, and said, "I've had a lot on my mind. I'm sure you know."

Hans nodded, eyes glazing over in thought. Elsa wondered, not for the first time—and she was sure, not the last either—just _what_ he was thinking _about._ Finally, he let out a deep sigh and said, "Yes, a lot has been going on. With everything the city is dealing with, and your father's death… I'm sure the council meeting didn't help, either."

Elsa tilted her head. "What council meeting?"

Hans looked at her strangely. "The one you went to last night?"

Elsa raised an eyebrow. "How did you know I met with the council last night?"

Hans frowned. He looked genuinely confused. "Owen told me. He said you told him yesterday while you were at the races."

Oh. Right. She _had_ told Owen. Elsa closed her eyes and breathed in deep. _I shouldn't have told him. Now all his brothers probably know._

"I had forgotten, I'm sorry."

Hans waved a hand in an almost-careless way, smiling wide. "Think nothing of it, Elsa. It's like you've said, you've had a lot on your mind. And I can't fault you for your suspicion."

Hans took a long drink from his glass then, his eyes drifting off across the horizon. He didn't say anything else, but Elsa had an idea of what he might've said if he kept speaking.

_Your family is very suspicious, after all._

Elsa ignored her thoughts and returned to her meal. The two of them sat in silence for a while, simply eating and drinking, observing the other patrons or drifting off across the rooftops in their minds. Elsa's returned once again to the solitude and comfort of her cottage home, the country sounds of birds chirping and the wind and sun on her face, the occasional _clip-clop_ of horses passing by, carrying carts with squeaky wheels, the drivers waving and greeting a nice "Hello! Such a lovely morning, isn't it?"

She sighed to herself, drawn back into the cold grey present of Arendelle as their waiter came to refill their glasses and take their orders for dessert. She hoped the cottage was still there, still standing strong and waiting for her return. She hoped one day she _would_ return, though she knew now that it would not be for a while.

_Why did my father drag me back here…?_

"Owen told me something else that was interesting."

Elsa started and looked up. Hans had not turned back to her, looking out across the balcony to the children playing. He had a slight smile to his face, his eyes showing a sort of delight. Elsa had wondered if he had actually spoken, or if she had just imagined he did. When he said nothing more, she took a chance.

"Did he?"

Hans looked back at her, blinking as if stuck in his own reverie, and then flashed a too-wide, too-charming smile. "I'm sure he meant nothing of it," he said, as if to placate the worries she had tried not to give word to. "But he had been telling me about your day at the races. And y'know Owen, he'll just blurt whatever comes to mind. Anyways, he mentioned that you made a new friend here in town."

Elsa smiled thinly. _A new friend,_ she thought idly, and then said out loud, "Yes, I met Anna."

Hans winced and looked around. The other patrons made no movements, ignoring them both, but Elsa could see a few of them glance in their direction at Anna's name. At once, voices dimmed to mere whispers and murmurs, and the outside world—the construction, the children playing—all seemed to be silenced in the thick tension of the air. Elsa took a sip of her drink and waited for Hans to respond.

"I would appreciate it if you didn't say her name," he said in a low voice. "For everyone's benefit."

"I don't care what people think of me," Elsa said curtly.

"You really ought to," Hans gave in a warning tone, casting Elsa such a serious expression she had no response at first. "Word will make its way to the council and Weselton, and they may use it against you."

"Why, though?" Elsa felt her own anger return, burning cold, though she managed to keep it under control. "What threat does Anna even pose? How can they prove she's connected to anything? Her timing may be odd and unfortunate, but what has she actually done? Moved in and kept to herself. The only thing she's seemed to ask for is company."

"Elsa, you know how this city works. Anything that is viewed as different or unseemly is immediately guilty of all suspicions. Anna's timing doomed her in the eyes of Arendelle."

Elsa frowned, mulling over his words. "What do you think?"

"Think of what?" Hans asked as he picked up his glass to take a drink.

"Of Anna? And if she's guilty of what's going on?"

Hans paused just as his lips touched the glass, looking at his drink as if contemplating its role in the goings-on of the city. He frowned and sighed, placing it back on the table.

"I can't say for certain if she's really at fault or not," he said in a quiet voice. "I will admit, it's… uncanny, that she should arrive in Arendelle just as the city's troubles hit. But who's to say, really. It's like you said, we have no evidence of her guilt, but we also have no evidence of her innocence.

"As for Anna herself, she's… fine. A little strange, prone to wander and babble if you let her. But she mostly keeps to herself, even when she has company, she keeps quiet and tends to linger back. I'll blink and she'll be gone. I think she prefers the solitude."

"Hm… Owen said the same thing."

Hans nodded, as if that settled it. "I do feel bad for her, if I were being honest. My brothers and I have tried our best to be accomodating, and our status keeps people from doing anything… untoward to her," Hans pursed his lips in disgust and Elsa felt her skin crawl at the thought, "but there's still only so much we can do."

"Do you know why she came to Arendelle?"

Hans shook his head. "I don't, but Julien does."

Elsa perked her head up at that. Hans didn't say anything, but the look in his eyes as he watched her, even as he took his glass and drank deeply from it, seemed to answer the question she wanted to ask. It also told her to keep quiet, and so she did, dropping the conversation for another, less tense one.

The two finished the rest of their meal. Elsa was tempted to box the remnants of her dessert for later, but left it, as there wasn't much left. She still had the rest of her truffles, anyways. As they walked out of the restaurant onto the street, someone nearby called out to Hans. He excused himself and walked over to speak with them. Elsa shrugged it off. Friends of some sort, though she could not recognize them. Didn't bother her either way.

Elsa walked across the street to where the construction was going on. She watched it curiously; it appeared the men were renovating an old theater. The men up top on the boardwalks nodded to her, "good morning, ma'am," to which she smiled and nodded back.

Elsa walked around to the side, staring up at the wall and watching the men work, when she heard a loud noise behind her. She looked up and saw the men stumble as the levitating bricks suddenly gave way, as if gravity had woken up from a long nap and remembered its job. The bricks collided with the scaffolding, crashing through and sending debris scattering.

No one could react fast enough, not even Elsa. She held her hands up, calling on her winter powers to form an ice barrier, but nothing happened. She could only stumble backwards and watch as the tower of bricks and nails and wood fell upon her.

The world blurred and she felt a harsh shove at her back. Elsa gasped and fell to her knees, skidding across the cobblestones as she heard the debris crash behind her, nearly drowning out a sharp cry. Elsa winced at the sting on her palms and knees, staring at the newly-made shining red scrapes and scratches.

"Ma'am!" Someone shouted up above. Elsa looked up to see one of the men staring at her with concern. "Someone is hurt!"

Elsa turned back and saw a figure lying prone beneath the rubble, arms outstretched. A hood was drawn tight over their head. They struggled to move, shuddering to a stop as they let out a sharp gasp of pain. Elsa saw their head inch up and met teal eyes—

"An—!"

The girl shook her head as sharply as she could, eyes darting to the men above. They were starting to try to climb down. Elsa quickly ran over to Anna's side and began to remove the rubble.

"How hurt are you?" Elsa whispered, craning her head down lower so that Anna could hear her more clearly.

"I'll be fine," Anna replied, her voice muffled by the scarf she wore. "There isn't much of it, but I will need help getting up."

"I will, just hold on—" Elsa cut off when she saw Hans heading over, his eyes wide and face pale.

"Anna," he said in a low voice, helping Elsa clear the rubble. His tone was level but firm, lecturing. "What do you think you're doing here? You've caused a scene with this mess."

"I was just taking a stroll," Anna grumbled, and Elsa could hear the frustration in her voice. "Would you have prefered I let Elsa get hurt instead?"

"I would have prefered you not be here at all," he said curtly.

"Hans!" Elsa nudged him, but he only shook his head and gestured to the street. Elsa turned and saw a crowd of people gathering. Her stomach sunk. If they knew Anna was here…

Hans evidently was thinking the same thing. "It doesn't matter anymore, I suppose," he said as he cleared the rest of the rubble in a rush. He put an arm around Anna's and helped her up. He moved her a bit too quickly and she let out a shuddering gasp, her entire body shaking. Elsa's heart stuttered as she watched.

"We need to get you back home," Hans continued, checking over her before pushing her gently towards Elsa, "before any more people gather and realize who you are. Elsa will take you. I need to clear away this crowd before anyone says anything."

"We need to get her to a doctor, Hans." Elsa said as she took Anna gently by the arm.

"I'll call for Bjorgman. He should arrive there by the time you do. But whatever you do, do _not_ use a carriage."

"Kristoff?" Elsa blinked. "He's a doctor now?"

"Yes, Kristoff," Hans said, and Elsa couldn't help but feel he was getting impatient. "Please hurry, Elsa."

"Is everything alright?" one of the builders said as he ran up to them. "We don't know what happened, it all just collapsed! Magic on the fritz again, I swear… Do you need help? Someone has already called for a doctor—"

"It's alright, good sir," Hans said, flashing his charming smile once more. "Miss Beaumont is going to help the young woman to her home now. She's fine, just a little shaken."

"Are you sure? That was a lot that fell on her, she shouldn't be moving around so! A good bit of healing magic—"

Elsa hurried off while Hans distracted the man, holding Anna as carefully as she could. She kept quiet as they turned a corner, the voices of the crowd turning distant. When they were a few blocks away, Elsa finally spoke.

"Alright, Anna, can you tell me how to get to your house from here?" Elsa remembered Owen telling her about the house she lived in—the abandoned one by the waterfall—but she couldn't, for the life of her, remember the last time she had been down that way.

"I can tell you how to get to my house from anywhere!" Anna giggled, cut short by another whimper of pain. "But yes, I can lead you. Just keep following these alleys until you get to a street again, and then turn right."

"Got it, just hang in there for a little while longer." Elsa looked over at Anna, dressed in a tight concealing cloak, scarf wrapped tightly around the lower half of her face. In hiding. "What are you even doing out here at this time?"

Anna tilted her head, raising an eyebrow and letting out a light laugh. "Why, it's a beautiful day, Elsa! Why wouldn't I be out here?"

"Owen said you never came out during the day, and I've only ever seen you at night."

Anna stopped then, staring hard at Elsa. There was a strange spark in her eyes at the mention of Owen, and Elsa had the sense she was calculating her response. Elsa only waited, watching her eyes harden, hiding any emotion from her.

Anna shrugged, immediately wincing and arching as that gesture sent pain lancing through her body. Elsa began moving them again, hurrying Anna down the streets. It was a few minutes of Anna regaining her breath before she spoke.

"So, you're friends with the Westergaards, then?"

"I wouldn't exactly call us friends," Elsa grumbled to herself, and she heard Anna stifle a laugh. She smiled at her. "But yes, I know them well. Our families are… very important in this city."

"Founding families of Arendelle. Yes, I know." Anna gave a shaky breath then, and held her head low. "I'm not up for talking right now, Elsa, I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Elsa said, shaking her head. Anna was dragging her feet, and Elsa was starting to think she should ignore Hans' command look for a carriage. But she remembered the carriage ride home, and the driver's reaction to Anna, and she only pressed on a little faster. "Please, rest. You're injured and I shouldn't press you."

Anna nodded, but didn't say anything more, and Elsa kept her thoughts to herself for the rest of the walk.

* * *

The walk to Anna's house took near thirty minutes.

Elsa could have hurried them but she did not want to cause Anna anymore discomfort than necessary. As they walked, Anna's pain did not get worse, but it didn't lessen, either. Her breathing was labored and every now and then Elsa heard her give a strained gasp or groan. She continued to drag her feet, asking for a break every now and then, and Elsa's concern never wavered. Calling for a carriage was growing more and more tempting.

Anna's house came into view, however, and Elsa breathed a sigh of relief. Though the sight shouldn't have been relieving. Anna's house was an ancient house, built in the early days of the town and now empty for so many years that most people had honestly forgotten about it. Its owners had moved out long before Elsa was born and nobody could be bothered to sell it or build it into something else. There were rumors that it was haunted, as people could hear what sounded like someone walking around in the house, and deep guttural moans, and the whole house would shake sometimes. Elsa's father said it was just the rickety old pipes and floorboards, and the foundation of the house settling. It was very old after all, and nobody took care of it for years.

Still, there was something unsettling about the place, Elsa had to admit. It didn't look that out of the ordinary; a small house, only two stories tall. The windows at one time were shut and barred, the yard barren and overgrown with weeds. And all down the street, no other house, and no markets or pedestrians for the whole block, as it was too far away from the rest of the city. The only sound in the whole area was the rushing waters of the waterfall nearby, like ghosts or fae whispering in the dark, obscured mostly by fog.

Now, it seemed that since moving in, Anna had the place cleaned up, with a fresh coat of paint and lawn trimmed and decorated with flowers. How she afforded it, Elsa couldn't say, but it looked respectable at least. The strange atmosphere had never left, though. It still felt ominous, haunted, like it was hiding some great secret beneath its floorboards.

_What could have attracted Anna to this place?_ Elsa thought. Perhaps she really did prefer the solitude away from the city, and considering how they treated her, she could see why… but the place seemed so unlike her.

"How are you feeling?" Elsa asked as they approached the door, shaking off the strange feeling beginning to grip her. She was pleased to see a carriage in front of the house, silent. Normal living horses waited, neighing nervously as they approached.

"I'm okay," Anna said, her scarf pulled down, her breathing still heavy. "I'll be better once I'm in bed—"

The front door opened at that moment, startling both of them as they looked up to see a plump older woman rush out. A look of grave fear and concern marred her face as she took Anna's state in.

"Anna, dear, what happened?" she asked as she took Anna's other side and helped her up the stairs. She gave Elsa a wary look before turning back to Anna. "The doctor is inside, practically pacing a rut in the floor."

"It's a long story, Gerda," Anna sighed. Elsa's heart gave when she saw how she slumped over. "I'll explain later."

The woman, Gerda, then turned to Elsa, giving her a look over. "Miss Beaumont?" she asked. There was a tone in her voice Elsa couldn't quite make out, but she smiled and nodded her head nonetheless. "Yes, Mr. Westergaard said you would be with her. Well, you have my thanks in bringing her back."

"Of course I would help Anna," Elsa said, closing the door behind them as they entered. She saw another look in Gerda's eyes, something that spoke slightly of approval, though for what she couldn't say.

Hurried footsteps approached them then before they could speak more and Elsa watched as Kristoff Bjorgman rounded the corner in a haste, his eyes focused intensely on the young copper-haired woman slumped between them.

"I swear to Christ, Anna," he grumbled as he took her from the women and helped lead her to the living room. "You're getting to be a lot more trouble than you're worth."

"Oh shut it," Anna replied, rolling her eyes cartoonishly at Elsa, who couldn't hide a smile. "You're getting good business, aren't you? Honestly, who complains about Westergaard money."

"I have other patients, you know," Kristoff gave her a withering glare. "I can't spend _all_ my time looking after you."

_Westergaard money?_ Elsa looked to Gerda, who was watching Anna warily, but before she could ask for clarification, Anna laughed, "You say that, but you still schedule random check-ups without anyone even calling you first. _I_ think you're just a big softie and you don't like to admit it!"

"Whatever," Kristoff huffed, and Elsa could see the tips of his ears turn red, "just tell me what happened and where you're hurt."

Anna began to explain as Kristoff lowered her onto the couch. Sven was waiting nearby, watching them with suitcase in hand. When he saw Elsa, his eyes lit up and he gave a big bright smile, signing with his free hand, "Hello Elsa! It's nice to see you again!"

Elsa nodded at him, responding, "Nice to see you, too, Sven."

"Yeah, yeah, nice to see you, Elsa," Kristoff mumbled as he rummaged through the suitcase for bandages and ointments. "Sorry, we didn't know you were in town. We've been busy."

"It's quite alright, Kristoff, I've been busy, too." While Elsa was not very close to either Kristoff of Sven in terms of friendship, she still quite enjoyed their company. Kristoff was not one for manners but it was like Anna had said, he has a soft heart all the same. Obviously, as he pursued a career as a doctor. And Sven was always eager to please, not out of any greater motivation than to just be kind to people. The two of them treated her with respect, but not to a patronizing or idolizing degree, which was a breath of fresh air for her.

The two of them had arrived in Arendelle six years prior. Coming from the far north, they sought a place to settle down and start careers as doctors. The Council took a long time in granting them citizenship, but they found there was nothing suspect about the boys, other than their lack of manners, and wanting to build their hut at the far edge of the forest away from the city, but that could be explained by their rural upbringing. The forest had been there since before the founding of the city; originally, it had overtaken most of the town, in fact. The founders had most of it cut down, but left the rest because it was, after all, beautiful, and made for nice walks not too deep in. Elsa wondered how big it must have been back in those days, as even now, it was rather huge. And strange; many believed there to be spirits living deep within the forest. Because of this it had an older, wilder feel to it, and Kristoff and Sven took to it immediately.

But nonetheless, after three years of learning healing magic, Kristoff and Sven moved into their completed hut. When Elsa left, they still hadn't quite received their licenses. She was happy to see that they had succeeded after all.

"Alright, Anna," Kristoff said, snapping Elsa out of her reverie. "Turn around and I'll check your back."

Anna did so, though not without help from Gerda. Elsa frowned at the exertion she showed. She was hurting more than she had let on. Kristoff knelt by the side of the couch and set down his equipment, then began to unbutton the back of Anna's dress and pull it down.

Elsa sucked in a breath. Anna's entire back was mottled a sick blue and purple, oozing sticky trails of blood. It stretched down to her lower back and across her shoulders, leaving blossoming lumps in their wake.

"Anna!" Elsa cried, edging forward. She saw the girl's shoulders raise to her ears as she turned to give her a cold gaze. "Why didn't you tell me you were hurting this badly? We shouldn't have walked all that way, it likely just made it worse! I _knew_ I should've gotten us a carriage—"

"Hans specifically instructed us _not_ to get a carriage, Elsa," Anna replied in a sing-song, mocking voice.

"To hell with Hans' instructions," Elsa spat. Anna's eyebrows rose in surprise, and she saw a small, shocked smile on her lips. "Your safety is more important than saving face."

"What _should_ have happened," Kristoff grumbled, shaking his head as he took in Anna's wounds, "was you two take her to a city doctor. You already wasted time bringing her to me. Why didn't Hans call for a city doctor, anyways?"

"Didn't want anyone to see me, of course," Anna offered in the same mocking voice. Elsa shook her head. What was _wrong_ with this city.

Kristoff gave Sven a look of disbelief. He only shrugged, signing, "They wouldn't have helped her anyways."

"True," Kristoff muttered to himself. "God only knows _why._ Just as well, you're here, at least. And truth be told, it's not as bad as it could be. As it _should_ be. You're pretty lucky to even still be walking. It's likely your magic softened the blow, otherwise Elsa _would_ have needed to call a carriage."

Elsa noticed an odd twitch to Anna's mouth at Kristoff's words. She couldn't decide if it was a smile or a grimace.

"Alright, Sven, come here." Kristoff turned to face Gerda. "We'll get her patched up in a jiffy here, I'll let you know when I'm done."

Gerda nodded. "Very well. Come on, Miss Beaumont, let's leave them to it. I'll make us some tea while we wait."

Elsa looked back at Anna, chewing her bottom lip in concern. The girl had her eyes closed, resting her head against the crook of her elbow. Her breathing was sharp and purposeful, and it was obvious she was trying to focus on something else other than the pain. Elsa thought back to their earlier conversation; she still had questions, but knew she shouldn't disturb her.

Sighing, Elsa nodded, "Alright then," and followed after Gerda into the kitchens.

It was small and cozy, with fresh new floral wallpaper. Underneath the stove was a small oven, and in the corner of the kitchen an even smaller icebox. The sink faced a window overlooking the backyard. Elsa sat at the table next to the stove, three other chairs on each side. Behind her was another window, and she looked out to see the large expanse of grass and the pond just beyond. Next to her, a worn telephone box was built into the wall.

It was fascinating to be inside the house. Somehow, it did not look near as frightening as the outside, but then that was probably because someone had clearly renovated it. There was still something to it, though, a presence that left a haunting atmosphere. A feeling of something hiding in the walls.

"So, what would you like to drink, dear?" Gerda asked, already filling the kettle. "I have earl grey, black tea, green tea—"

"Do you happen to have any scotch?" Elsa grumbled, running her hands down her face. A sharp migraine began to settle behind her left temple and she rubbed at it furiously.

Gerda laughed, light and sweet. "No, no, I'm afraid not. No alcohol allowed in this house."

"I'll have some black tea with honey then, please."

"Of course, dear."

Elsa wasn't sure what to do with herself while she waited. Gerda didn't seem willing to talk while she worked, which Elsa understood. She remembered when she was a child, pestering the cooks and following them like a shadow, their tired, frustrated, but still-trying-to-be-kind smiles as they shooed her out the door, telling her to find somewhere else to play. She remembered the staff at the Westergaards' estate being much the same way.

So Elsa bided her time looking through the books nearby. There was a book filled with old nursery rhymes she remembered fondly from her childhood, another on the history of the city that was so caked in dust she knew it had not been touched in years, and a final thick tome of fiction. Elsa picked it up and looked it over. She remembered her father reading this story before, a deeply political story of a royal family torn in half and a nation left in ruins. It ended with the main character having to kill his own wife in a fight for the throne and his son rejecting him. She had never understood the appeal it held for her father, but it had been one of his favorites.

"So, Miss Beaumont," Gerda said all of a sudden, seating herself across from Elsa at the table and startling her out of her reading. "I would like to know how you and Anna met."

Elsa blinked, looking up at the clock. She must have been more entranced by the book than she had realized. Setting it aside, she cleared her throat and asked, "She didn't tell you?"

"Anna has not told me much of her travels in the city." Gerda sighed and shook her head, the gesture of a frustrated mother. "She thinks I'll get upset."

Elsa frowned. "Why's that?"

"I make my worry known for her," Gerda admitted, clasping her hands together over the table. "You've seen the way this town treats her. Like she's some kind of evil to be purged, or a stain to be removed." Gerda pursed her lips in disgust, a look of anger flashing over her face. Elsa didn't think it belonged, but she felt that same anger coursing through her at the thought of Anna's treatment, so she knew it all too well. "I would really rather she didn't go out at all, but I know being cooped up in here can be trying for a young woman, especially one as full of energy as she is."

Elsa cocked her head, mulling deeply over Gerda's words. They didn't seem to fit together the more she thought on them. "Do you know what brought her here, Gerda? And why this house, of all places?"

The kettle screeched, giving Elsa a frightful start. Gerda stood and walked over to the stove to turn the heat down, silencing the kettle. She emptied the kettle and prepared the tea, taking a couple of biscuits out of the oven and onto two plates. Returning to the table, she handed Elsa her own plate and cup, and Elsa thanked her. She stirred the honey into the tea but decided to let it cool off before drinking it, instead taking a bite out of her biscuit. It was soft and fluffy, and when she added hot melting butter her taste buds tingled delightfully.

"I don't know what brought her to the city." Gerda responded at last, stirring honey into her tea before she took a long sip. "As for why this house, well…" Gerda sighed, setting her cup down. She stared past the center spot of the table, a contemplative frown that spoke of many memories, many thoughts. "That's a bit longer to explain. And perhaps I shouldn't tell you… but Anna seems to trust you.

"See, Miss Beaumont, when I was a young woman, I worked as a maid for the old family that owned this house. My family had been working for their family since… Lord, since the first days of Arendelle. My family certainly had prestige over the other servants, of a sort, but we had never thought of it much. My mother and father were in charge of the staff, and when they passed, I took their place. As such, I had the only other copy of the master key to the house, besides, of course, the family head himself.

"When the old master died and his children left for greener pastures some thirty years ago, the rest of us did as well. I've since been working odd jobs in the town, working kitchens in smaller restaurants downtown. The children had allowed me to keep my master key, as they saw no need to take it. I had no intention of going back, but… there was a strange nostalgia I associated with it. After all, I'd lived all my life in these walls. So, I held onto it."

Gerda paused then, taking another sip of her tea. Her eyes were clouded with memories, and there was a somber tone to her voice when she continued speaking. "Then, three years ago, word began to spread there was an outsider who had come to the city and that it had caused a stir with the Council. Something about her being strange, but I thought nothing of it at the time. Every outsider is strange to these people. But then I was called by the young Master Westergaard, already a bizarre happenstance, as I had never once spoken to him or his family. I remember him when he was a lad, but he had never been around when his father was over for business with the old master. Anyways, he introduced me to Anna, and asked me to look after her. Take care of her, tutor her privately in magic, that kind of thing. And he asked me if I still had my old key to the abandoned house by the waterfall. When I said yes, he told me I was to move into it with the girl at once. He bought the house then and had it fixed it up."

Silence stilled them both, the only sounds being the ticking of the clock, and the muted barely-there hush of the waterfall outside. Elsa could make out Kristoff's deep voice in the other room and thought she heard Anna's softer voice in response, but could not make out their words. There was both a disconnect and a hyper-awareness that set her nerves on edge. She felt very vividly that she was trespassing on something forbidden, and Gerda had allowed her to. She wondered if Anna wanted her to know any of this or not.

"Your tea has likely cooled enough by now."

Elsa startled, seeing Gerda give her a small uneasy smile, and gesturing towards her tea cup. Elsa nodded, taking the cup into her hands and drinking deeply, gathering her thoughts all the while. When she was done and placed her cup down, she still felt out of wits of a sort, but had enough mind to respond, at least.

"So… _Julien_ had Anna move in here? Why?"

"I don't know, Miss Beaumont. I've asked him several times now why he asked me, why this house, why he's doing what he's doing for the girl. He just says the same thing. 'No one else can help her, and the town's too afraid of her.'" Gerda sighed and shrugged her shoulders, raising her cup for another long sip. "None of it makes sense to me. If they only got to know the girl, they'd know better than to think ill of her."

"But Julien could afford a better place for her to live." Elsa stressed, confusion seeping frustration into her voice. She gripped her cup of tea with such force she was surprised the handle didn't break. "He could've bought her a nice luxury apartment downtown. If he was doing this for _charity_, it would make more sense to try and endear the town to her, rather than give in to their suspicion and visibly seclude her." _And Julien is always trying to win the hearts of young beautiful girls… Anna should be no exception._

"I'm afraid I don't have the answer to that, Miss Beaumont. But I do not think he is doing it for charity. I'm not even sure if he's doing this for show. The Westergaards boys' interest in Anna has never sat right with me, but I cannot do anything about it besides look after her the best I can."

Elsa frowned, mulling over Gerda's words as she drank her tea. It was all truly unsettling. Something was so very obviously wrong, and Julien Westergaard was at the heart of it. He was planning something, but what did Anna have to do with any of it?

Setting her cup down, she offered Gerda a thin smile, saying, "Well, you have my thanks for that. You said you're teaching her magic? May I ask what?"

Gerda suddenly grew quiet, her eyes darting to her teacup. She wrung her hands together, refusing to answer for several moments. When half a minute passed, and Elsa still sat there, watching her curiously, she sighed and finally answered.

"I do not wield any special magic, Miss Beaumont. Just the standard levitation magic of a lowly servant. I was quite taken back when Julien Westergaard paid me to tutor Anna in magic because of this. I told him he should hire an actual magic tutor, someone with magic that Anna would want and could use to pursue a profession in this town." Gerda stopped then, her face twisting in frustration. Elsa could tell she had this conversation with Julien several times over, and likely still did.

"But the girl herself wasn't even interested in magic," Gerda resumed. Elsa's head snapped up in surprise. Gerda nodded. "I'm not sure what it is, but she approaches the topic with something I can only describe as annoyance. Perhaps even genuine dislike? She prefers to mock the town's pride in their magic, particularly the richer families. I've told her to keep these thoughts to herself… I hope she has listened to me.

"I've told Julien all of this but he still insisted that I teach her. I have tried my best, but the girl hasn't taken to it. I struggle to teach, and she struggles to learn. In the past three years, she still has not learned any magic. On top of which, my magic doesn't always work, just like others'. I have told Julien this, and he finally allowed me to ask the schools for help this past summer, but they refuse to help her. Anna is unconcerned, though."

It was one thing after another. More and more the mystery of Anna's presence and Julien's interest in her began to tangle with itself until Elsa could hardly even see it, let alone make sense of it. Overwhelmed, weighed down with the breathless, strange knowledge of this surreal situation, Elsa gaped, unable to respond right away. What was there to say, really?

As it turned out, there was nothing. A knock at the door brought their attention away from the conversation. Gerda got up and answered it, allowing Kristoff entrance.

"I've done what I can," he said. "Sven is walking her to her room. She'll be fine, but I want her to stay in bed for at least a week. Do _not_ let her leave this house until she's fully healed. There's some medicine that she's to take daily, you'll have to help her apply it to her wounds. I'll check in on her in a few days, but call me and let me know if anything else comes up."

"Of course," Gerda bowed her head. "Thank you, Dr. Bjorgman. Wait here, I'll get you some money."

"No need," Kristoff waved her off. "I'll just bill Julien." Kristoff sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Well, time to get back home. I'll see you around, Elsa?"

Elsa nodded, offering him a smile. "Absolutely. Will you be at Julien's party?"

"Oh, yeah, that thing. Yeah, Sven and I will be there." Kristoff waved his hands in mock enthusiasm and smirked at Elsa's giggle. "Gotta rub elbows with the almighty Rich and Powerful, yeah? Anyways, we'll get out of your hair, Gerda."

"I'll walk you to the door," Gerda said. As they walked out of the kitchen, Elsa looked to the stairs, seeing Sven arrive just as they entered the foyer. He gave her a bright smile, signing, "It was nice to see you again, Elsa! See you at the party!" before grabbing his and Kristoff's suitcase. He took his hat off the hook and placed Kristoff's back on his head. Kristoff grumbled and fixed it so that it no longer covered his eyes.

Elsa and Gerda waved goodbye a final time, watching as they disembarked on their carriage.

"Well, Miss Beaumont, perhaps you should get going, too, before anyone says anything about your absence."

Elsa realized then that she had totally forgotten about Hans. He hadn't shown up at the house at all, or even called. She wondered what he was getting up to in that moment, and an uneasy twisting feeling in her gut told her that he was with his brothers.

_Most likely telling Julien what had happened…_ She did not like that thought one bit. Not after everything Gerda had just told her.

"Gerda, if it's okay, I'd like to say goodbye to Anna before I leave?"

Gerda gave her a fond smile. "Of course you may. In the meantime, I will make her some supper."

"Oh, I can help you with it! I can take it up to her, when I say goodbye—"

"I appreciate the thought, dear, but it will take too long, and I don't think we should keep you any longer than we have. Go on up and say goodbye, and then I'll walk you out." With that, Gerda turned and left back towards the kitchens.

Elsa sighed. Perhaps she was right. Kai was likely starting to get worried that she had not returned after her lunch with Hans. Straightening her jacket, Elsa walked up the staircase onto the second floor. Much like the rest of the house, it was smaller and cozier than one would think looking in. Or maybe it was just a refreshing change of scenery from the dark, despairing atmosphere of her own house. There were three doors, two open and one closed. She guessed one of the others led to a bathroom, and the other to Gerda's room. The closed door was obvious.

Elsa knocked quietly on the door. When nobody answered, she knocked again, a little louder. Still no answer.

Sudden worry gripped her heart, and Elsa discarded all good manners drilled into her by her upbringing and opened the door.

"Anna?" she said, stepping into the room. "Are you—?"

Elsa stopped to take in the scene.

Light and fresh air filtered in through the open window. A large bed in the center of the room, a clothes dresser at the foot of the bed, and a single table dresser with a lamp for night-time reading, was all the furniture in the room. Cuddled under the blankets, Anna lay against the mass of fluffed pillows, one arm crossed over her stomach. Her head lay back against the pillows at an angle, not uncomfortable, her eyes closed, her chest rising rhythmically. She was fast asleep.

Elsa walked up to the side of her bed. Anna's eyes roved slightly beneath her eyelids, her brow furrowing slightly, but other than that, she did not stir. Elsa looked over to the bedside table. The medicine Kristoff had prescribed her remained unopened next to a book of fables. Elsa smiled fondly to herself. There was a bookmark halfway through.

It was hard to attribute Gerda's strange words to Anna, staring at her now, asleep with the daylight streaming gracefully over her. It was quite different from the moonlit vision she had seen previously, or the strange waifish figure from the night before, staring ominously at the gruesome sight before her. She seemed like any other girl in Arendelle. Not someone wrapped up in the strange conspiracies of the Westergaards and the city's strange goings-on.

Gerda had said she was struggling with learning magic. Maybe she could offer something… something to help, even if in some small way.

Elsa raised her hand, removing her glove and feeling the ice in her veins spread to the tips of her fingers. Blue, frosted light arced upward, entwining and reshaping together into six points. Frozen fractals glittered strangely in the sunlight, appearing translucent, fairie lights dusting off the many angles. In the center, there was a perfectly shaped heart.

Elsa blinked. Not what she was going for, but it worked all the same. She placed the snowflake on the table, floating just above the book of fables. Elsa looked back over at where Anna lay. Her face seemed more relaxed.

"Sleep well, Anna," Elsa whispered. "I'll see you later."

She did not expect an answer of course, and so as Anna continued to slumber peacefully, Elsa made her exit as quietly as possible, closing the door softly behind her.

* * *

Anna waited for the door to close and the footsteps to fade away.

When she opened her eyes, the room was empty, as usual. There was only the sound of the waterfall and birds chirping outside, but beyond that, her familiar companion of silence haunted her side.

_At least,_ she thought, _this silence is not forever._

Anna carefully peeled the blankets away, sidling up to the far side of the bed and getting up. Her back twinged and her legs shook, but truthfully it did not feel as bad as it looked. She knew she was likely to heal faster than they expected. Anna pushed herself to her feet and walked around the room to the window, avoiding her bedside table.

Outside, the sun shone brightly. She could see butterflies dancing in the air, hummingbirds flitting to and fro around her flowers. Frogs croaked in the pond beyond, and even from where she stood, she could feel the spray of the waterfall.

It was serene, beautiful, breathtaking. It was everything she ever wanted.

It was all… so… _unfair._

Anna shut the window with a harsh snap, drawing the curtains closed.

Anna had thought she long had enough of darkness. She had suffered a lifetime's worth of it. But now an anger burned deep in her core, an anger that set her eyes to water, her hands to shake. A hollow, racing pulse ached in the center of her chest, and she drew in a deep, trembling breath in some vain attempt to settle her nerves. Anna didn't want light and fresh air and a bright blue sky, dangled teasingly just out of her reach. Anna didn't want to see any of it. Least of all did she want to be reminded of this wretched horrible city.

She almost laughed at the thought of it.

As she turned, the filtering fading light caught on the six-pointed snowflake resting at her table. A sharp heated pang of resentment boiled inside of her and she glared at the dreadful thing. She had heard Elsa call on her magic, surprised it even worked, and she could feel its presence lingering nearby, tugging on her, beating a sickly straining pulse. It had filled her with such shock, after all that Elsa had done for her, to then suddenly be _mocked_ like that, she had almost screamed at Elsa to leave.

But… Anna sighed, and the revulsion dissipated like ash, filled instead with longing. She knew Elsa had meant well. Elsa likely only thought of it as a gift, nothing more. Because Elsa was kind like that. Because Elsa didn't know how cursed she was. Because if she did, she would never have dared speak to Anna.

It was really quite beautiful, Anna thought with a wistful smile.

She knew better, and yet, she couldn't help it. She found herself drawn to it, taking a few, trembling steps towards the snowflake, her hand outreached. As soon as her fingertips touched the topmost point, the snowflake wavered, losing its sheen, and melted into nothing.

Anna's smile turned thin and hollow, her jaw clenched so tight she felt her temples hurt in sympathy. She curled her fingers into a tight fist and withdrew her hand. She found her anger no longer burned. There wasn't anything left to burn.

Anna turned away, yawning and stretching her arms aimlessly above her head as she walked to the other side and crawled under the blankets. She drew them tightly over her head, closing her eyes, drowning herself even further into darkness.

Darkness had its comforts, more than light these days.


	5. Family Affairs

**AN:** hey guys, sorry for the long wait! but here's an extra-long chapter as recompense!

also, a quick announcement: I know I said I would be sticking to the weekly schedule but I'm afraid I'm gonna have to change to a biweekly schedule; I'm really sorry guys, but keeping up with a weekly schedule has been just a bit too stressful for me... writing every week is tiring lol so instead of every Saturday, **chapters will be uploaded every _other_ Satuday**

so Ch6 will be uploaded not next week, but the week after

thanks for being understanding and thanks for all the support you guys have given for this fic, I really do appreciate it! :)

enjoy the chapter~

**tw:** discussion of death

* * *

**5**

**Family Affairs**

* * *

It had been a week and a half since she had last seen Anna.

Elsa could not contain her worry, even if she knew she was likely recovering from her injuries. Every time she sat down to read, Elsa was expecting the telltale sound of her singing coming behind the wall, but it never did. Once a week had passed and still nothing, Elsa had gone out to walk around the city during the night, hoping to find her, but she never did. Others hadn't seen much of her either, and the streets started getting fuller at night.

"Perhaps she finally left," one man said. "Good riddance, I say. We've had enough of her and her strange ways. Back to whatever hole she came from."

"And haven't you noticed?" a woman said when Elsa asked her. "No more bodies have turned up. Everyone's magic is starting to work again. If that doesn't prove her doing, I don't know what does."

"What do you what to know for?" another said, eyeing her suspiciously. "You've been seen in her company often now. You should take that wretched witch of yours and both leave. Go on!"

Elsa wasn't going to get much information out of the townspeople, she knew, so after two more days of no sign of Anna, she decided to finally call Gerda and see how she was doing.

"Anna is still recovering, I'm afraid," Gerda said over the phone. "She's doing much better but Dr. Bjorgman still recommended she stay home for a bit and she's not been feeling much like her old self anyways, I'm afraid."

"Could I… possibly speak to her?" Elsa hoped she didn't sound too needy, but she had sorely missed Anna's presence the past week. Hearing her soft voice and infectious laughter would be a balm for her own anxieties.

"I'll ask her," Gerda said, and then she heard the woman put the phone down. Elsa tried to busy herself with fiddling with pens and other trinkets, curtailing her growing impatience as she waited a few minutes for that sweet melodic voice of Anna's to answer on the other end. She nearly jumped in her seat when she heard returning footsteps and the phone being picked up again, a smile breaking on her lips.

That smile died when she heard Gerda's voice instead. "I'm sorry, Miss Beaumont, Anna is not feeling very well right now. She requests that she be left alone for a few more days."

"Oh…" A tingling overflowing of hurt spread first from her chest and then through to her fingertips. She tried to ignore the pang of her heart as she responded, "Okay, then. Tell her I hope she feels better and… I'll be waiting where we first met whenever she wants to see me again."

"Of course, dear. Take care."

They hung up and Elsa leaned back in her seat, letting the hurt finally wash over her. Why would Anna not want to speak with her? Was she wrong to guess that Anna liked her? That Anna saw her as a friend like she did? Or had she hurt Anna in some way? She couldn't think of how, unless… she remembered her gift of magic then, the large snowflake she had meant as a symbol of encouragement. But what if Anna had taken it another way? As a sign of mocking.

"Perhaps… I shouldn't have given it to her." Elsa sighed and shook her head. It was useless to think about with Anna not there to confirm or deny. It really may have just been as simple as Anna wasn't feeling well. She may even be embarrassed over the mess they had gotten into last time. But again, Elsa wouldn't be able to know until she saw Anna again. It was enough to know that she had recovered, at least.

_Just as well,_ Elsa thought as she rose from her desk. _I have a lot of work to get done._

* * *

"Is this everything?"

The worker climbed down the ladder with the last of the scrolls. He turned and plopped them onto the desk, dust billowing up. "Yes, ma'am," he said, wiping the sweat off his brow. "Well, everything relevant to your search, anyways."

Elsa looked up to the rows of towering shelves, scrolls of files locked tight behind warded cages, and she let out a heavy sigh. She couldn't be sure just how much information she actually needed, how much was in the scrolls now splayed on the table in front of her, how much was actually hidden in the farthest corners of the shelves in this echoing cathedral of a warehouse. Her father had a good chunk of information placed away in his study, always at hand, but of course, with the kind of business he ran, and the people he called associates, some things could not and should not be so easily accessed.

"Right," Elsa said, more to herself than anybody else, and she ignored the strange look the worker gave her. "How much do you know of the trade my father oversaw?"

The worker shrugged. "Not much, if I'm being honest, ma'am. He didn't really converse with us lower folk. We talked to our supervisors who would talk to Master Kai who would talk to your father. There were a few people who spoke with your father directly, but he let them go shortly before his death." The worker suddenly averted his eyes to the ground, looking unsure of himself. "Begging your pardon, ma'am, didn't mean to you remind you of terrible things."

"You're fine, don't worry about it." _He let them go? Why would he do that…?_ "Do you know why he let those people go? And where they would be?"

The worker shook his head. "No, he never said anything. Those people just up and left. A few of them were drinking buddies, but… I haven't gotten in touch with them since. I haven't even seen them around, now that I stop to think about it…"

_That's… odd._ Elsa didn't like to jump to conclusions, but her father had taught her that if something seemed too uncanny to be a coincidence, it likely wasn't. And with everything going on—people showing up mangled in the streets, her father's own death, and the intrigue involving the Westergaards and Anna—it wasn't painting a pretty picture for anybody.

Elsa put it away for now; she could deal with all the mysteries later. For now, she had to focus. If she was going to have to give these records over to the Council, she first wanted to look through them and see what they had to say. Reading through the files didn't seem to bring anything out of the ordinary up. The only thing really noticeable was the hemorrhaging of funds that she had come to expect after everything else she had heard.

Elsa unrolled another scroll and skimmed over it, feeling her eyes glazing over, when something snapped her back into full alert.

"Um, sir?"

The worker jumped, several expressions of varying confusion crossing over his face. He didn't seem to be used to being referred to with any sort of respect. "Yes, ma'am? Lady Elsa, ma'am. Something I can help you with?"

"There seems to have been a recording error… these numbers don't add up."

"There shouldn't be any error, your father was always very meticulous about that sort of thing. He looked over the records personally himself."

Elsa frowned. Her eyes roved over the parchment, mentally filing and sorting through every piece of information she came across. But something was off.

"I'll need the names of everyone present on these dates," Elsa said, storing the scrolls away.

The worker blinked, taken back by the cold edge in her voice. "Oh, uhh, yes, ma'am. Right away, ma'am."

"And put these scrolls back for me, please. If you can, place them in a separate storage, with stronger wards." She didn't want to think about the possibility of somebody on the Council getting these before she had a chance to look them over more carefully… or one of the Westergaards.

_God forbid Julien gets a hold of it… or Hans. _Somehow Elsa could picture Hans fetching the unwarded scrolls for his brother, in the dead of night, before replacing them. Of course, she couldn't prove this. A gut feeling, like her father would say.

At that moment, as the worker was carrying the scrolls away, Kai entered the warehouse. He bowed low and said, "Miss Beaumont, Councilman Elam would like audience with you."

_How about that…_ Elsa thought wryly, trying not to betray her amusement through her smile._ I think of the Council and here they come, knocking on my door. Still, better Elam than someone else._

"Of course," she said out loud. "Lead me to him."

Kai walked her out of the warehouse and through the yard, past the winding paths that she often took as a child, exploring wild fantasies, and later as a teen, lost in her own thoughts. She could see where the gardens started, and spied the top of the willow tree by her favorite reading spot, on the side of the house, just beyond the window of her father's study. She wished now to be there, waiting for the telltale sign of Anna's presence, but buried that desire deep below. Ahead, chatting amiably with the guard assigned his company, Elam Caldwell waited.

"Ah! There she is!" Elam walked over to her, ending his idle chatter with the very tired guard, and bowing his head deeply as he held up her hand and gave it a soft kiss. "You're a sight for sore eyes, Elsa."

"A sight for sore eyes, you say?" Elsa laughed, her spirits lifting at the kind fatherly smile on his face. "I'm not sure the others would agree. All the eyes in this town seem more sore than usual, and quite unhappy to see me."

"Well, I can't speak for my fellow townspeople, though I know it's technically my job, but _my_ eyes are sore from the sight of musty bitter old men, and would do anything to see a young woman with actual sense in her head. Not to mention my ears, my poor ears! They hurt with the sound of their bickering!"

Elsa laughed again, and Elam gave her a wry little wink. "So, what can I do for you then, as councilman and friend of my father, to relieve you of these woes?"

"Please, Elsa, I am your friend as well. And I was hoping for a walk in your beautiful gardens! And to catch up with you, away from the bothersome talk of the Council and your father's business. It's been quite a while, after all, and you seem to be in need of relief yourself."

Elsa allowed the guard to leave, and the two of them walked through the gardens, their voices accompanied by birdsong. Elam asked Elsa about her time away from the city and she told him about her pleasant little cottage and the nearby town, and all the wonderful non-magical folk.

"It was hard not to use my powers around them, but then, I never really had any use for them. Even here, I don't think I've ever used my powers without my father's permission."

"It always came off as odd to me," Elam said, "that the founding families had seasonal magic rather than something a bit more practical. Sure, it looks impressive enough, but for ruling a large city? Ah, well. So, how did you get about with money?"

"Well, some of it I had left over from when I left… my father had put aside money for me for personal use. So I took it."

"And spent frugally, I imagine," Elam said, smirking slightly.

"Of course," Elsa said with a coy smile. "My father taught me money-spending well."

"But surely that couldn't be all? You had three years to spend that money. Do you still have it with you?"

"Some… I was very careful with it. But I did a lot of trading with the townspeople. Mostly foodstuffs but some clothes and fabrics of my own make. I got quite a good amount of coin for it. I'm afraid most of what I earned are useless here in Arendelle, though."

"I'm sure you could still have it converted," Elam said with a nod of his head. "The bank deals with many faraway lands' currencies after all, I'm sure they could manage that of even a nowhere little town such as this."

"How was my father?" Elsa suddenly asked, a strange nervous energy overcoming her. "In my absence?"

"Ah," Elam gave her a weary smile. "He did not take to it very well. He was fiercely angry for a long, _long_ time. He busied himself with his work more than ever before. As the years went one he seemed to mellow out in anger but not in work. If anything, he got worse. And he was very tired towards the end of it. I spoke with him every now and then but as the years went on I saw and heard from him less. He seemed to think less of the whole town, though I can't really explain it."

"I know he seemed to be busy with the Westergaards," Elsa started, though she stopped herself, unsure of how much more to say. She wasn't sure yet whether to bring Anna into the conversation or not.

"I wouldn't know much about that, I'm afraid," Elam said, not seeming to notice Elsa's hesitation.

"What else went on during my absence?"

Elam gave her an inquisitive look, an eyebrow arched. "Did no one inform you?"

"Of some things, yes, but not everything."

Elam then filled her in on some of the politics of the past few years, the fallout of a lot of closing businesses, Weselton's winning of yet another term of mayor, something Elsa herself forgot about. A lot of very boring politics, by the sounds of it, but also much headache. Everyone was dealing with some catastrophe or another and nobody seemed willing or able to put in the legwork to deal with it, only concerned with their own profits. Elam seemed sick of it all.

"I'm going to go even grayer with all this nonsense," he grumbled, offering her a crooked smile when she giggled. "I don't envy you your new position, Elsa, at the whim of these insufferable fools and their petty politics. They like to think themselves kings, but if they are kings then they wear their own asses for crowns."

"Elam Caldwell!" Elsa gasped, her face turning red, but she couldn't help but giggle, for it _was_ quite funny. "You're lucky I'm the only one to hear that!"

"I know I can trust you with my secrets, Elsa." Elam said with a chuckle.

"Of course," Elsa nodded. "And how about you? I'm surprised to see you haven't married yet."

Elam chuckled. "Ahh… I just haven't found the right woman yet, I suppose. Plenty of lovely women, fun to date, intelligent… but the fun dies too soon, and I can feel myself moving on sooner with each one. Maybe I'm just getting too old. Maybe I've been ruined for love." He said this last one with a flourish of his hand, throwing his arm across his face in mock-despair. Elsa rolled her eyes and he gave her a smile. "Just as well. I don't have much to give a wife at the moment, with all that's been going on."

"How are your farms?"

"As well as anyone else's, I suppose," Elam said with a low sigh. "Most of the cows are dead and the chickens have barely laid any eggs. And most of the ones they have laid are rotten already. A lot of the grain has molded over, too, though no one can tell me how." He sighed again, then shook himself of this dark cloud and gave her another crooked but pleasant smile. "Ah, but forget about all that. I wanted to speak to you about things _other_ than politics."

"It's quite alright, I appreciate being caught up on all the goings-on."

"I'm surprised Kai hasn't told you everything, or the Westergaard boys."

Elsa felt her smile die then, her face twisting into a careful stoic mask as she considered her response. "Kai and I have been… busy, with everything, as you know." Elam nodded, muttering his apologies. "As for the Westergaards… well, truthfully, Julien and Silas haven't spoken to me more than a single phone call each."

"I presume Julien invited you to his party this Hallow's Eve."

"Yes, he did. And I accepted, though I'm not sure I had much of a choice to do otherwise."

"A wise assessment," Elam said with a grave nod. "Julien takes a lot after his father and older brothers in terms of ego, I'm afraid."

Elsa nodded in agreement. It was refreshing to hear someone else think so, especially someone as powerful and respected as Elam, but she was careful to avoid voicing such forward thoughts herself. "Owen has told me some things, but he's far more interested in telling me about his goofy adventures and hijinks. I'm not even sure how much of the business his brothers have involved him in, or how much he's even taken an interest in. He's never really been one for it, as he'll admit. As for Hans, he's done a respectable job of keeping me up to date with things. I'm not sure, however, how much is exactly truthful."

"What do you mean?"

Elsa shook her head. "Perhaps it's nothing more than paranoia. But I know for a fact that he's been hiding things from me. He didn't say anything to me about Anna until after I had already met her and had to hound him about it."

"Ah, Arendelle's ghost."

Elsa turned to Elam as he said that. He had a strange smile on his face, his eyes wandering out into the skies overhead in thought. "Do you know her? Personally?" she asked him.

"The girl?" Elam shook himself out of his reverie, the look in his eyes turning into a sort of pity. "Not very well, no. In fact, not at all. I saw her at her initial meeting with the Council, when we granted her citizenship. She was very forthcoming with our questions, stating her business in Arendelle—she had none, she said, except a need for peace and quiet—and what she planned to do—nothing, she said, except to find a good place to stay and live out her years. Too young to be thinking like that, I thought, but if she were lying or hiding something, she didn't betray it. Julien also made a case for her, for he was the one who brought her to us in the first place. She actually quite seemed to enjoy the whole thing, like it was some sort of game to her." Elam gave a sudden wry laugh then. It reminded Elsa of her own father when she was a child and made some strangely adept point he had not considered when he consulted her in business tutoring.

"Anyways, besides that, I have not seen much of her. She pops up every now and then walking through the city, but I try not to talk to her then, for her sake. I don't want to give her anymore negative attention from the citizens than she already has, and I doubt they'd be pleased to see a councilman speak with her. I see her at Julien's parties but she keeps to herself in the library most often, sometimes with the younger Westergaards, sometimes by herself. She seems to fancy the history books. I've spoken to her a few times, and she is polite, and charming, but she's not much for idle talk. After a few words, she usually turns back to her book, and I have no choice but to leave her. I think—"

"That she prefers the solitude?" Elsa smiled thinly. "I've been hearing that a lot. I'm still not sure I believe it."

Elam raised his hands, palms forward, a gesture of peaceful surrender. "Do not take my word for it, the Westergaards would know more, certainly. And, well, you would, too. You have actually held a conversation with her, after all."

"What do you make of all the strange things happening since she arrived?" Elsa realized, softly, that she had already made a habit of asking nearly anyone who would listen what their opinion was. Perhaps it wasn't a good habit, perhaps she should leave it be. But Anna's presence clung to the back of her head always. She was a piece of the puzzle somehow.

Elam took a long time to respond, his face marred by a deeply troubled frown. At long last, after several quiet moments, he gave a sigh. "You may not like hearing this, Elsa… but I don't think the two are entirely unrelated. I don't like to lay blame on instinct, but I also don't believe in coincidences. And her arrival is damn strange. The how and why are where I'm stumped, however, and she has done exactly as she said she would, found a place to live in and keep to herself. If she were trying to ruin Arendelle, you'd think she'd be more direct. I'm not sure."

"But…" Elsa wrestled with her words, anxiety pooling in her stomach. "But, there's no proof of any wrongdoing on her part, is there?"

"Other than circumstance, no. Weselton and Silas have been working together to find the meaning behind those… ghastly executions," he added with a scowl and poison in his voice, "but none could be found. Most of the victims are of the upper class or police force. Anna is seen sometimes near and sometimes she's not, but that does little to convince people otherwise. Some say this just proves her being a witch. Or demon. Or whatever the word of the day is.

"As for the magic dwindling, that one's proven worse to figure out. Since it's so widespread, anyone in the city could have trouble with their magic, but the problem is exacerbated in Anna's presence. Weselton thinks this proves something, and that's where I begin to think that she's connected somehow, but again, we have no real evidence of her doing in the matters. Beyond that, the Westergaards are keen to keep Anna out of legal troubles, Julien especially. It comes as no surprise to you that the family has half of the Council in their pockets, particularly that nasty old stick-up-his-ass Richard, and Julien has used that to excuse Anna's presence. For the most part."

"I don't understand," Elsa started, half to herself, "what is it exactly about Anna that Julien has such an interest in?"

"Charity, mostly," Elam answered with a wry chuckle. "The boy is so eager to prove himself, always has been even before his father put him in charge of their affairs in the city, but he's smart, also. He knows when the townspeople are riled about something and the aristocracy too scared to deal with it, the best course of action is to take control yourself. Or himself, rather. He gets to come off as the brave and kind young gentleman helping the strange lonely young woman, endearing him to the few that hold no grudge against Anna, while also calming the townspeople who do, convincing them someone is looking after her, and allowing the aristocracy their relief from the topic. All this goodwill he earns in the process helps a lot with investors."

"You sure seem to know a lot about Julien's process for all of this," Elsa said, more of an out-loud thought than an accusation. Still, she couldn't help but feel the jab was there and quickly moved to apologize, but Elam gave her a good-natured chuckle and waved her off.

"No need to apologize, dear, no offense taken. This is just what comes with years and years of working in politics. You're able to suss out the smaller details that pass people by. Your father may have taught you a lot in the ways of dealing business and keeping a sharp eye on people, and he taught you well. But he did not teach you everything, and you are still very young. This kind of thing comes with age.

"I should say, though, it's not fully foolproof. There are many that are angry with the Westergaards interacting with Anna, some on the Council. Weselton himself, while thankful for someone taking the stress away from his own shoulders, never drops his suspicions, and he's been convinced from the start that Anna is the doom of this city. I half-expect he worries she seeks his position, as silly as it sounds. And plenty of the townsfolk and aristocrats are wondering why Julien spends so much time caring for someone they've deemed a curse. Some are even convinced the two of you are in on some scheme. Some investors are not happy, not happy at all. They've already lost some money because of it. I'm not sure what William has said to Julien about this, if anything. I'm curious to know."

"Yes…" Elsa thought, and she realized that she hadn't asked Owen or Hans anything about their father's say in the matter. "I am, too."

They didn't say anything else for a while, and before Elsa could try to steer the conversation to something less distressing, the shrieking laughter of children broke the silence. Three of the staff's children ran up to her, running around each other as they laughed. Most of the staff's families lived with them on the estate, and that included their children. Elsa had grown up with some of them but most saw her as unreachable, above them, and left her alone. The younger ones, however, looked up to her, mostly for one thing.

"Miss Elsa! Miss Elsa!" they called out as they circled her. "Do the magic! Do the magic!"

Elsa laughed to herself, removing her glove as she raised her hand and twirled her fingers. Light snow crystals swirled in dancing arcs, entwining in the air above and forming a dark cloud. Snow began to drift down, first in small drifts, then in clumps. The children shrieked with joy, running around with her arms wide, their tongues sticking out to catch the snowflakes. One of them began to gather the snow on the ground into a ball and threw it at another. Soon flurries of snow were being thrown this way and that.

Elsa watched with a wide smile, her spirits lifting once again. She turned to Elam, seeing the amusement in his eyes. He caught her eye and raised a finger to his lips. She arched her eyebrow and watched as he held his hand up and pointed a sharp finger at the ground. A bright flash of blue soared through the air to the ground and ice spread suddenly under one boy's feet. His eyes went wide with shock as he lost his balance, twirling his hands out in vain to catch himself, and promptly fell over on his backside, letting out a sharp cry. The other two children giggled at his plight, and the boy got up groaning, his eyes confused but not disheartened. Indeed, a smile was already forming on his lips, and soon he began to giggle as well. The giggles grew to loud laughter as the children joined him on the small patch of ice, sliding this way and that, bumping into each other and knocking each other over. Elam was beside himself with laughter, clapping his hands, mirth dancing in his eyes at the children's delight.

Caldwell magic was an old and particular type of magic. While everyone else specialized in a specific kind, such as Beaumont winter magic or someone who used glyph magic, Caldwell magic took a little after every bit of magic. "Mimicry" it was called, though this was not an entirely accurate title, but it worked for convenience's sake. Elam could, effectively, use any magic in Arendelle, but he was severely limited in what he could do. Whereas Elsa could cover the whole yard in snow, creating a winter wonderland for all to have fun in, Elam would likely not even be able to cover more than a small patch in a light flurry. He could never play magic chess or participate in the magic races, because he could only manage a few glyphs, and they did not last long, and he couldn't even dream of summoning a creature as big or complex as a horse. As it was, he only ever summoned small birds, and much like his glyphs, they did not last very long.

Still, Elsa found it quite interesting, and he was quite well-known for his unique magic. Elam had told her it was much the same for his father and grandfather, and likely whoever came before him. The Caldwell family were old, as old as the founding families. But they did not make much of a mark on the town, keeping to themselves and looking after their own plot of land, a small but comfortable farming estate in the northeastern region of the city. They had, in fact, stayed out of most of the city's politics, until Elam ran for Council. But now Elam's parents had long passed, and Elam had no siblings or cousins anyone knew of. And so, no one else in the city had magic quite like his.

"Children are quite amazing little creatures, aren't they?" Elam was saying, rising Elsa out of her train of thoughts. "Always able to find the joys in life, with not a care in the world. If only it were always that simple."

Elsa watched as the children helped each other up, still giggling. Someone called their names and they ran off, waving and saying goodbyes and thank yous to Elsa and Elam as they left. She looked to Elam, and he had that strange smile back on his face.

"Yes," she said, thinking of her father, and finding her spirits dampened by the thought. "If only."

Elam left soon after, and Elsa returned to her lonely, trying work.

* * *

A few more days of constant work and Elsa was exhausted.

"I swear to God, Kai," she groaned, sitting at the raised desk in the corner of the warehouse, a single dim light hanging overhead as she flipped through scroll after scroll. "I'm about ready to throw this all in a dumpster. Or a fireplace."

"This has become a common complaint of yours," Kai deadpanned, setting her teacup down on the tray next to her desk.

Elsa took a long sip from her tea, appreciating the scalding hot bittersweetness of it. She had been sitting there for hours on end, looking over the scrolls with paper, pen, and arithmometer. Something was definitely off with the recordings, and if the worker's words had been correct, then her father overseeing these records was even more troubling. But without the workers who had taken part present to answer her questions, there wasn't much she could do to get the real answers. There were no records to compare, either, to fill in the gaps of what was clearly missing. It very well could've been that in her father's final days, these things just slipped his mind. But she had never known him to drop the ball so harshly before. Indeed, he was always very meticulous about numbers. She wondered if maybe somebody had fudged the records behind her father's back, but what for?

She would have to fix it as best she could on her own, with as little help as she was afforded.

Before she had known it, she had drained her tea completely, and had written what seemed a hundred pages of calculations, scribbles, and nonsense. Elsa finally put down her pen with a huff.

"That's it for tonight, Kai. I'm going to the gardens before bed."

"Of course, Miss Elsa, would you like supper brought out to you?"

"Sure… bring me something light, though, please."

"Yes, Miss Elsa."

Elsa walked out to her spot next to the willow tree, book in hand. She was looking forward to getting farther in her book, enjoying her supper in the evening breeze. But she must not have realized just how exhausted she really was, because as soon as she had sat down, she had barely enough time to open to the bookmark before she nodded off into a thick sleep.

In her dreams, she walked down a dark staircase, the walls closing in so close around her she had to tuck her arms in around her. She held a lantern out in front, radiating a soft blue glow, bathing the stone in a cold light. Her own shadow trailed behind her, and she did not like the look or feel of it. She had this sense something, or someone, was following close behind, and when she looked back at her shadow it seemed to reach out for her as if to wrap its hands around her throat.

So she kept looking ahead, walking as fast as she could. She wasn't quite sure where she was going, but there was something she needed to do, she knew that much. Or maybe something she needed to get. Or someone she needed to save. Or kill? Why did she think that? Whatever it was, it kept her going forward, and whatever was after her kept her from thinking of turning back. Her heart was in her throat. She could feel it beating harshly, each pulse sending a tremble down her spine. She could hear it, almost, as if it were around her instead of in her. With each step it grew louder, and she felt the stones around her quake with each pulse. They all shivered, the floor beneath her, too, with a strange breath, and the shadow behind her grew, and up ahead she heard someone calling her name… _Elsa, Elsa, Elsa…_

"—Elsa?"

Elsa startled awake, her eyes blinking as the cold blue stones washed away. She was back in the gardens, sitting on the bench with her book open in her lap, her head resting against her hand propped up on the arm. Next to her a small white lantern and her supper, a potato and cheese soup still steaming. She could not have been sleeping long then.

Just then, she recognized the voice that had called her name and looked up to see teal eyes watching her curiously.

"Hello there, Little Ghost," Elsa said with a smile, and she smiled more when she saw those eyes sparkle.

"Long day, huh?" Anna asked, her lips quirked in an eerie smile. She was leaning over the wall, one elbow perched so her chin rested on her open palm. Her other arm lay in front of her on the stone, her fingers tapping a slow rhythm.

Elsa opened her mouth to respond when a sudden yawn burst forth from her. She tried to cover her mouth as best as she could. Anna laughed, and Elsa forgot all about strange stairways and chasing shadows and walls beating like hearts.

"I'm afraid my father has left me a lot to deal with…" Elsa finally said.

"I can imagine," Anna responded from her perch on the wall. She pushed herself up all the way so that she sat, then swung her legs over to the other side. "Mind if join you?"

"Not at all!" Elsa patted the spot next to her. She moved her book, closing it—she doubted she'd get any reading done now—and moved the bowl to begin eating. It was still warm, but Elsa noticed then that it had been given a liberal amount of melted strands of cheese and pepper as flavoring. She gave a fond smile and shook her head.

"Something wrong with it?" Anna asked. Instead of sitting on the bench she had chosen to sit on the floor, resting her arms on the bench as she looked up at Elsa. Elsa raised her eyebrow at it, but decided not to say anything about it.

"No, it's fine. I had just told Kai to give me something light. It seems we have a different idea of what that means. I can eat it just fine, but I likely won't be able to finish it."

"Well, eat what you can. He probably just worries you don't eat enough with all the work you've been doing." Anna shrugged, smiling kindly. "If you can't finish it, I'll have the rest!"

"Have you not eaten tonight?" Elsa asked, confused. She would think Gerda would feed Anna well.

"I have! But I'm still hungry. I'm always hungry, honestly. Gerda says my stomach is an endless abyss." Anna laughed then, her voice trilling softly and nicely. Then she rested her chin on her arms and closed her eyes, humming softly to herself.

Elsa watched her, entranced by the lovely, lonely tune. Anna made no move, and kept on with her humming after a while, so Elsa turned to finally eat her supper. It was delicious, as she thought it would be, but also very filling. She ended up only eating half of it before she set it aside, wiping her mouth with the napkin placed alongside it. Anna still had her eyes closed, humming softer this time, the tune entwining with the rustle of wind and leaves, and so Elsa let her rest as she read.

The night wore on, quietly and peacefully. Nobody came out to check on her and she didn't hear much else in the streets. Just the sound of windchimes in the gardens, and Anna's own voice, low and haunting. Eventually, even that faded away, and Elsa looked up from her book to see Anna's head lolled to the side, her lips slightly parted, her hand outstretched limply on its side.

Elsa didn't know why it was, but seeing Anna asleep like this inspired a sort of awe and thrill. Anna was so eerily beautiful when awake, but when asleep Elsa couldn't help but be entranced, watching her every breath. And she had this odd feeling, somehow, that this was a rare sight to see for most. And she had gotten to see it twice. So she drank in every detail, every quirk of eyebrow and jerking movement, for as long as she could. And she found herself wishing she could watch forever, or had more opportunity to do so.

_Why would I think that…?_

Anna's eyebrows suddenly scrunched, drawing a tight frown as her eyes roved underneath her eyelids. Her fingers twitched, flexing and closing into a fist. Anna's lips pursed and she let out a low whine.

Elsa frowned, watching her, and reached out to touch the tip of her nose gently. Anna woke with a start, her eyes flashing wide open, staring ahead in such a frightful daze, it shook Elsa to her core. It took a few moments for her eyes to clear, and she looked around at her surroundings with groggy half-awareness.

"Bad dreams?" Elsa asked carefully.

"Ah, a little…" Anna yawned and stretched her arms high above her head, wincing at a few cracks and pops. Her neck gave a particularly nasty one.

"You know, there are probably more comfortable places to sleep than on the dirt ground leaning against than the bench…" Elsa teased, giving Anna a wry smile when the girl stuck her tongue out. "Perhaps the willow tree?" she added more sincerely.

"I'm fine, really! Trust me, anywhere I sleep is comfortable enough for me." Anna stretched one more time and then her eyes rested on the bowl of soup in front of her. "Oh, are you done?"

"Oh, yes," Elsa said somewhat shyly, "I'm sorry, I was going to give it to you but you seemed tired, so I let you rest."

"Just as well!" Anna exclaimed as she dragged the bowl closer to her. She sniffed at it, humming in delight, and then ate several spoonfuls in about as few seconds. Once she chewed and swallowed, she said, "I was pretty tired."

"When do you sleep?"

"Usually in the morning, I sleep for a few hours. It doesn't come very easy to me."

"Why's that?"

Anna shrugged. "It's just… difficult for me to fall asleep. I don't like dark rooms."

"Afraid of the dark?"

"It's discomforting."

"Says the woman who only ventures out at night."

Elsa had meant it to be teasing but she noticed a strange glint in Anna's eyes, a sudden twisting of her mouth that betrayed a distaste. It vanished quickly, but somehow Anna seemed more tired. She only gave a shrug as a response.

Finally, Elsa couldn't help it. "Why _do_ you only come out at night?"

"I didn't at first," Anna started, letting her eyes settle on the bowl of soup as she played with the spoon, twisting it forward and backward. "When I first came, I went out during the day like everyone else. Most people left me alone then; they just saw me as the new girl in town. Sure I was weird, I guess, but they just let me be. Then a few months in, everyone was having trouble with their magic. Next the farms went bad, crops dying. Businesses started to lose money after that. The suspicions had already started to pile up. And finally the bodies turned up.

"After that, anywhere I went, I was being harassed and trailed by people. People shouted names in the streets, shops closed their doors on me. There were… other things I won't mention. Julien had spoken with the Council to convince them out of forcing me out of the city, but couldn't do much else. People would politely ignore me at his parties, but outside of his walls he had no control. So I stopped going out during the day, but I went out at night. I didn't want them to think that I could be cowered into leaving. And I stopped showing them I cared. Something about that, and seeing me at night, I guess spooked them into just choosing to avoid me now. So people stopped going out at night. That's just fine with me. I appreciate the quiet."

Anna shoved the bowl away then, her appetite apparently ruined. Elsa frowned, biting at her lip. She felt something stir deep within her, something she couldn't quite put a word to. She knew she didn't like the quiet anger in Anna's eyes, the distant hard look as she stared off into the night sky.

"But…?"

Anna looked then at Elsa, startled by the sudden noise. She seemed to read the question on Elsa's face, and gave a light laugh, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

"_But…_ it does get quite lonely."

The wind blew harshly through the leaves and Anna gave a violent shiver. Elsa set aside her book and stood, taking off her jacket. She placed it gently around Anna's shoulders. Anna snuggled deeper into it, pulling it tightly around her arms, and flashed Elsa a thankful smile.

"Would you like to walk with me?" Elsa asked. She wasn't sure where the question came from, but she didn't want to stay in one spot all of a sudden. And, she thought, walking would do Anna some good.

Anna blinked, confusion etched on her face. "Walk where?"

"Through the gardens," Elsa said, with a shrug. She suddenly felt self-conscious, and twisted her fingers around in each other. "Not for long, if you don't want to."

Anna jumped up then, startling Elsa back. But she raised her hands up beneath her chin and smiled so widely that the corners of her eyes wrinkled, bright lights shining in her eyes. "Oh! I would love to! I've never seen your garden before! I would love to see the flowers, and the trees, and the—!"

"Alright, alright," Elsa laughed, placing a calming hand on her shoulder. "Let's get going, then, and you can see all the flowers and trees planted over the years. I don't even really know most of them, to be honest…"

They walked off then, and Elsa forgot about reading or eating or anything else, really. It was a calming, softly cold, quiet night and Elsa didn't think there was a better time to take a walk through the gardens. She realized, somewhere in the back of her head, that for all the nights she spent in the garden she had not had a good, long walk. Except for her walk with Elam some days ago, though that was during the day. At night, the garden looked different, with fireflies dancing like strange fairy lights on the flowers. And with Anna there, her laughter floating on the wind, it felt even more ethereal.

They traced the same path she had taken before with Elam, Anna dancing between the hedges, stopping now and then to smell the flowers. She would cup their petals gently, bending over and tracing her nose in the air over the flowers' pollen. She would smile and hum, and then skip along until another flower caught her eye. Elsa watched her, darting in and out, disappearing but her laughter not far off, and then reappearing with a few flowers in hand.

The last time she did this, Elsa had turned around to go looking for her, only to find her directly behind her, a flower the color of sunset in her hair.

"You really need to stop doing that," Elsa said with a smile.

Anna giggled. "I don't do it on purpose… often. Besides, it's kind of fun to see people's faces when I do."

"It's… fun?"

"I mean," Anna waved her hands around frantically, and Elsa had to take a step back, "sure, I don't like the way they look at me or talk about me or whatever, but I know nothing I do or say is gonna change their minds. So, I just have fun with it, I guess. It's that half second where they look like…" Anna scrunched up her face then, as if thinking, and then pulled a comically exaggerated expression of horror, eyes wide and mouth twisted.

Elsa burst out laughing, a coughing fit that left her breathless and bent over, hand pressed against her lips. Between her tears, she could see Anna flash her another crooked smile, her eyes twinkling with mischief.

"You always seem to surprise me," Elsa said once she could speak again. "I wish I knew your story."

Anna's smile froze on her face. Her eyes turned sharp and mirthless. She watched Elsa carefully then, as if expecting an attack, and then cleared her throat and looked down to her boots. "I don't have a story worth telling," she said, fingering the skirt of her dress.

Elsa frowned, tilting her head. "I'd beg to differ," she said, inching a little closer. She paused when Anna took a quick step back. A silence lingered, broken only momentarily by an owl hooting in the branches above, and a guard somewhere nearby coughing.

Finally, Elsa got the courage to say more, "Anna, may I ask you something?"

"Technically, you just did." Anna perked back up, giving her another cheeky smile as she began to walk along the path. "But go ahead."

"How old are you?"

Anna stopped dead in her tracks, looking to Elsa with wide eyes and her mouth gaping open. She closed it and opened it several times, but no words came out. It was quite a sight to see, Anna rendered speechless. She suddenly gave an oddly nervous laugh and stammered, "W-w-what? W-why do you ask?"

"I was just wondering. I couldn't figure out your age when we first met and I'm still not sure. You seem so young but so old at the same time." When Anna still didn't say anything else, Elsa shrugged and turned away. "If you're uncomfortable—"

"No, no, I was just… surprised. It wasn't a question I was expecting." When Elsa looked back, Anna was smiling, but something about it seemed off to her. She didn't respond right away, however. Instead she rolled her shoulders, which cracked slightly, and walked off, beginning a small melody that Elsa had not heard before. It was maybe half a minute before she finally responded, "I'm eighteen."

Elsa blinked. If Anna noticed her confusion she didn't say anything, just hummed to herself and continued her walk.

"Eighteen? But… then that means you came to this town… when you were fifteen."

"Hm?" Anna looked back at her, raising an eyebrow. "Oh, yeah, I guess so."

Elsa tilted her head, her frown deepening. "You came here alone? At fifteen? Nobody was there with you? … Why?"

"There wasn't anyone _to_ be there with me, Elsa. I don't have any family."

"You've mentioned your mother, is she…?"

"Dead. She died a long time ago." Anna stopped in the middle of the path, her back stiff and shoulders tense. After some time she sighed, deep and trembling from her core, and her whole body seemed to crumble. She turned slowly, deliberately, as if every movement caused pain, and smiled over her shoulder. Elsa thought she looked exhausted, and sad.

"Her name was Amelia. She was beautiful—with fiery red hair, and bright golden eyes. She was tall and slender, and her smile could light up the whole world. I always loved her laugh; I heard it often. And she would sing the loveliest of songs. I knew if she was singing she was having a particularly good day. She had freckles, too, but not as many as mine, and they went away as she got older. I've been told I look a lot like she did when she was my age. We went everywhere together, we played games together, danced together, we stayed together… or tried our best to. Obviously she couldn't always be at my side, she was quite busy looking after the house, and such… I had plenty of time playing away from her, but, I never strayed far. I felt safest with her. She was…"

Anna paused then, her eyes staring somewhere far, far away. Somewhere Elsa wasn't even sure existed anymore. The gold specks in her eyes shined like stars, wavering, and Elsa realized with a start that Anna had tears in her eyes. Suddenly she blinked, and the teary, far-off look was gone, replaced with a fond smile. Anna held her hands to her chest, against her heart.

"She was my best friend."

Elsa felt something in her own chest, a soft flutter, her heart trembling in sympathy for Anna. Elsa took a step forward and placed her hand on Anna's shoulder, gently, but firmly, trying to convey what she could not say with words. Anna gave a start, her body suddenly trembling. She gave Elsa a sharp look, a look that asked her not to ask the question that was already on her lips. Elsa swallowed the words down, unsaid. She gathered her thoughts, and when she finally opened her mouth to speak, she spoke carefully.

"My mother died giving birth. She had always been rather sickly, and it got worse as she got older. Pregnancy did not do well with her, and many were worried she would die before she could deliver the baby—that is, me. There were apparently complications while I was still in the womb, as well. After giving birth, the trauma just was too much for her body… my father said she didn't last long, she couldn't even hold me. But she had always loved the name Elsa, so my father chose that as my name.

"I never met her, but I would think about her a lot as a child. I've seen pictures of her. She always looked graceful in those pictures, with dark blonde hair done up, her eyes cold but not harsh. I always imagined her speaking with a soft and careful tone; she would have to, if she married my father. My father said she was never very lively, preferred to keep quiet and enjoyed small talks with few people. She loved the opera, he said, and they took many walks in this garden, never really speaking, just enjoying each other's company. He said she would speak to me often while pregnant, telling me her wishes for me. He never told me what they were, though. I… haven't thought of her in a long time… but I do sometimes wish I had gotten to know her."

Elsa felt her her face heat up and she withdrew her hand, crossing her arms tightly in front of her chest. "I'm not sure why I brought her up, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make this about me—"

"No! No, you're fine, Elsa, really." Anna took Elsa's hand in her own and smiled, a calm, genuine smile, no underlying mischief, no exhaustion seeping through. There was nothing disingenuous, and Elsa felt the dark cloud that had settled on the two of them finally lift. "I'm sure your mother was lovely. I'm sorry you never got to know her."

Elsa returned Anna's smile, and placed her other hand on top of Anna's. "I'm glad you got to know yours. She sounded like a wonderful woman."

Anna's mouth twitched, but she kept her smile in place. "Yes… she was."

They stood still for a few moments, smiling at each other. Then Anna's eyes turned down and her face turned a deep shade of red. Elsa followed her gaze and she realized with a start that she was still holding onto her hand. She withdrew, a bit too quickly and rudely, and the girls both gave a nervous giggle. Elsa crossed her arms again and Anna looked away, fiddling with her white strand of hair.

"What about your father?" Elsa asked suddenly.

Anna paused, frowning in thought. "He was never around," she said. "I don't know who he is, or was, and my mama didn't like to talk about him. Sometimes she would get really sad, and not talk to people, or I'd see her watching me, this strange look in her eyes, and I could tell she was thinking about him. She once told me he was a bad man who wanted to hurt people, and told me to stay away from any strange men I saw that weren't… y'know, neighbors or family. We had a pretty close community, if we couldn't recognize somebody, we knew they weren't from around… those parts." She suddenly gave a wry smile. It didn't quite reach her eyes. "I guess, in hindsight, they weren't so different from Arendelle."

Anna cleared her throat then and shrugged, smiling wider as she began to skip down the path, and Elsa had to catch up. "Anyways, that's all she would tell me. If he really was as bad as she said he was, then I'm glad he wasn't around!"

Elsa nodded, but her thoughts began to swirl dangerously, and she found herself soon stuck in them, spiraling down roads she had tried to avoid. Her father's menacing scowl lingered in the back of her head, staring down at her from where he sat at his desk—now _her_ desk. She remembered his cutting words, his cruel and cold remarks. He had never conveyed much respect for anyone else, even business associates, keeping everyone at the appropriate distance while still maintaining necessary relations. He viewed everything as an extension of his own personal benefit, and anything less was to be dismissed or gotten rid of. Even his own daughter, she realized, was just another pawn.

Elsa had certainly never thought of her father as a "nice man," but she had rationalized it before as necessary for being a businessman with the kind of legacy he had. Now she was starting to think…

"Anna?" she asked.

Anna looked back to her, blinking. "Yes, Elsa?"

"My father… Owen said that my father helped Julien look after you… how did…?" Elsa couldn't get the words out, for some reason.

"How did he treat me?" Anna smiled thinly. "Your father was not very fond of me."

"That's what Owen said."

"I learned not to be in his line of sight. Once he caught me walking around town, and he dragged me back into his carriage, driving me back home. He told me if saw me again—well, he didn't, so it doesn't matter." Anna frowned. "Why do you ask?"

"I…" Elsa paused, searching her thoughts again. She looked to Anna's inquisitive face. She finally sighed. "I'm not sure. But I'm starting to think my father wasn't a good man, either. He was only ever interested in business, at any cost. I had tried so hard to get away from all that, and for a while I did. But now here I am, in his shoes. I don't think I'll ever escape."

Anna stopped in front of her, bending low to force Elsa to make eye contact, taking Elsa's hand in her own again. "Just because he wasn't good doesn't mean you aren't either, though. I can tell you from what little time I've spent with you, and after three years of avoiding your father every time he turned his head in my direction, you're worlds different."

Elsa felt her chest warm and she smiled, rubbing her thumb against the back of Anna's hand. Anna smiled and looked down, mimicking the movement.

"And here I worried you would be mad at me."

Anna laughed suddenly, surprise etched in her face. "Why would I be mad at you?"

"For my, um… gift." Anna did not give any reaction right away, but Elsa could the comprehension dawning on her face. Elsa averted her eyes nervously and said, "Gerda had told me how you were struggling to learn magic a-and how nobody else would teach you, and so I-I thought—"

"Wait," Anna stepped back, withdrawing her hand to her chest. Her brow was furrowed, confusion and distrust clear in her eyes. "Gerda… _told_ you all that?"

Elsa blinked. "Um, yes, she did. But she didn't—I had just asked her about you coming to town and, since, y'know, she looked after you—"

"But she told you," Anna interrupted, her voice sharp and cutting. "She told you I can't use magic and how I feel about magic."

"I…" Elsa swallowed thickly and crossed her arms again. This was not going well. "Yes, she told me."

"So you knew…" Anna said slowly, her eyes boring into Elsa's figure. "And you still put that snowflake there."

"Anna, I promise you, I didn't mean anything bad by it." Elsa's words were coming faster than she could properly speak them, and she knew she was stumbling over herself trying to explain, but the dark look on Anna's face had a vicious anxiety pooling in her stomach. "I had meant it as a sign of encouragement, as a… as a way to help."

Anna's frown deepened and she looked away. "I don't need help. And Gerda had no business telling you any of that."

"Please don't be mad at her, _I'm_ the one who asked. I was just curious, you've been such a mystery since I arrived—"

"Oh, that's what I am," Anna gave a harsh laugh, her eyes dancing with a dark energy Elsa did not like, her lips twisted in a bitter smile. "I'm a mystery to be solved."

"No, I didn't mean it like that—"

"Personally, I don't see what any of that has to do with helping you solve this 'mystery.' I always thought it obvious what's been going on, and you seemed smarter to me than that."

"I… what?"

Anna's smile twisted farther, and Elsa took a step back. "I'm not a mystery, Elsa. I'm a distraction. If Julien really wanted to help integrate me into society, or protect me from the rotten people in this town, don't you think he would have bought me a better house? Like a nice apartment downtown, rather than some haunted, forgotten skeleton of a house that everyone tries to avoid anyways? Don't you think he would actually involve me in things beyond his insipid little parties where I have to behave like a good little girl, standing quietly on the sidelines where no one has to pay attention to me?"

Elsa gaped. She hadn't a clue how to respond, and she was starting to think it a mistake to ever say anything. Anna's anger was rolling off of her in waves, and her piercing stare was rooting her to the spot.

"I'm here so that you and the town have something else to focus on, something to keep your eyes off of him and his family." Anna laughed, shaking her head. "And it's worked."

Elsa blanched. Anna smirked. "What do you mean… what are they doing?"

"Elsa? Miss Elsa?"

Both girls jumped, and Elsa swung around in the direction of Kai's voice. He called out for her several times, coming closer and closer. Elsa turned, hoping to get Anna away, but she was gone. Elsa stared at the spot where she had stood just a moment before, and regret and guilt gnawed at her, anger at herself burning hotter than usual.

"Miss Elsa, there you are," she heard Kai coming up behind her. "I've been looking all over for you. Are you okay?"

Elsa sighed, a weight of many burdens heavy on her shoulders, and she turned to face him, giving him a thin smile. "I'm fine, I just… needed a walk in the gardens. What do you need me for?"

"Julien Westergaard is here. He wishes to have audience with you."

Elsa felt her insides curdle, her heart turn to stone and dropping to her gut. She swallowed her panic down and kept her smile firmly in place, though she could not hold in her sigh, "Very well, I suppose since I'm up I might as well speak with him. Where is he?"

"He's waiting in your office. Follow me."

_My office…_ Elsa thought, but she kept that thought private, and followed Kai wordlessly. As they walked through the gardens, Elsa quietly looked around for any sign of Anna, but there was none.

Inside, most of the staff had turned in for the night, with only a few guards on patrol. They all were high on alert, though, and they watched her carefully. They must have heard of Julien's arrival, but Elsa couldn't help but wonder, how many of them knew things she didn't? What if one was a spy of the Westergaards? Elsa had already known that Julien was up to something, and she had already known that Anna was at the center of it all. But perhaps she really had her sights on Anna too much. If that were true, and she had no reason to believe Anna would deceive her…

Before she knew it, they had already come to the black door that opened to her office. It was wide open, light spilling into the hallway. Kai turned the corner into the room and bowed deeply.

"Master Westergaard, Miss Elsa Beaumont has arrived."

Julien Westergaard had already made himself comfortable in one of the leather chairs, reading a book he had taken off of one of the shelves. He looked up, his hazel eyes hooded as he made contact with Elsa. He placed the book on the table and stood, walking over with his hand out and a diplomatic smile on his face.

"It's nice to see you, Elsa, after all these years." His silken voice, quiet but deep, demanded attention, and he stood tall and and menacing with the window opening on the dark night behind him and the dim lights around him. A spark lit in his hooded eyes, and his smile hid many secrets.

Elsa took his hand in her own and shook it firmly, smiling back. "I could say the same to you. What brings you here at this late hour?"

"A few errands, if you don't mind."

"Not at all. Would you like something to drink?"

"I'll take a whiskey," he said, turning to Kai. "And a cigar, if that's alright."

Elsa nodded to Kai. "I'll have a scotch, please, Kai."

Kai bowed low, and exited swiftly.

Elsa turned to the desk and moved to seat herself. "I trust all is well with you?"

"Very much so," Julien said, returning to his seat. He picked the book back up and resumed reading where he had left off.

Elsa took that silence as an opportunity to examine Julien closely. He didn't look much different from when she had last seen him three years prior. He had always been a gorgeous man, with short curly hair, kept close to his temples and combed nicely, long lashes, dark hazel eyes, full lips, and a strong jaw. He had always been more tall and lean compared to his brothers, who tended towards stocky and short, though his shoulders were broad, and he held them proudly, with his head high. Now he dressed in a waistcoat, his jacket slung over the back of the chair, his leg crossed over on knee as he rested the book against it. Somehow, he appeared both at ease, comfortable, and also at attention, listening and waiting.

Julien had made a name for being a ladies' man, having many girlfriends, often at once, laughing and drinking in the ballrooms, and for a long time he seemed to approach family affairs with indifference. He was aloof, proud, and very well aware of his good looks. Even after he had married Daisy and started a family, he had not shied away from the attention women gave him. He had never really been eager to follow his brothers, unlike, say, Hans, who was constantly shadowing them, desperate to please. Julien seemed to take things as they came to him.

Now, as the senior Westergaard in Arendelle, with his father's expectations, Elsa couldn't help but feel he seemed… older. He seemed… respectable. And there was something devious lurking underneath. Julien looked up from the book to stare at her, and she saw his own thoughts swarming, and he smiled, so that she knew he had a plan brewing.

"Enjoying yourself?" he asked.

Elsa ignored the remark and asked, "What book are you reading?"

"Ah, a record of Arendelle's history. I hope you don't mind, I merely chose it to pass the time."

"I don't mind."

"It's quite fascinating," Julien continued, as if Elsa hadn't said anything. "Arendelle has a long, complicated history that I never really paid attention to before. I'm afraid I found it all to be rather dull. Parties were far more interesting." He gave a low chuckle, as if amused, and Elsa humored him with her own. "But now I've found a passion for it that I hadn't before."

"Perhaps your newfound responsibilities has made you… more aware?"

Julien nodded, appearing to give her words some thought. "Yes, I have to say, I'm actually glad for my parents and brothers leaving. More than just the prestige, it has showed me what's really important with being a family with such a powerful legacy. I was a fool before to turn a blind eye."

"Growing older does that, I suppose," Elsa said slowly, watching Julien as he turned a page with a flick of his long fingers. "I've certainly become more aware since coming back to Arendelle."

Julien looked up and watched her, a sly smile tracing his lips. "Is that so? Well, good." Julien stood then and walked over to the bookshelf, returning the book to its place. "A good read, though I'm afraid your father's collection is limited. Nothing surprising, honestly. The early history of this city isn't well-known."

"Oh?" Elsa wondered where he was going with that, but before he could respond Kai re-entered the room with a tray holding two bottles of liquor, two glasses, and a box of cigars.

"Here you go, Miss Elsa," Kai said as he served her the scotch. "And for you, Master Julien, your whiskey and a box of Master Nathaniel's finest cigars for your choosing."

"Good man." Julien seated himself on the chair again, taking a cigar out of the box and sniffing it. He took a match then and began to light, rotating it slowly and puffing on it.

Elsa, for her part, merely drained half of her glass while neither men were looking. She relished the burning liquor, the warmth pooling all through her body.

"If there is nothing else for me to do?" Kai asked, turning to Elsa.

Elsa smiled and nodded, "I will fetch for you if I need anything, Kai. You are dismissed."

Kai bowed deeply, but before he left, he gave her a dark, warning look, one that spoke of protection and concern. Elsa merely nodded, hoping it would relax him. She knew she could handle whatever Julien threw at her.

Julien for his part, said nothing, merely savoring the aroma and taste of the cigar. He gave a dismissal wave as Kai left, blowing smoke out into the room. Elsa realized then that she hadn't asked Kai to open a window, and she felt like getting up to do so would betray a weakness. So she only sat and waited, patiently. Julien spent a few more moments smoking the cigar, then flashed her a wide toothy smile, that ever-present spark still shining in his hooded eyes.

"You said you came here to deal with some errands?" Elsa finally allowed herself to ask.

"Yes," Julien said easily. "I wanted to thank you for offering your friendship with Anna."

The warmth turned abruptly to cold and a strange chill rushed up her spine. Elsa reflexively flexed her fingers, clenching them into fists before resting them flat-palmed on the desk. She saw Julien's eyes watch her hands as they moved with a twitch at the corner of his lips. Again, that feeling of something, somewhere, hidden, peering into the room, overcame Elsa, and she fought the urge to look around the room. The dark corners seemed to leer at her.

"It's my pleasure. Anna is a delight."

Julien's smile widened. "Not many people in this town would agree with that statement. In fact, most would say the opposite. Most would prefer to avoid her."

"Well, I don't think it's a secret that I've never gotten on well with most people in this town."

"A fair assessment," Julien nodded, puffing on the cigar a few times before continuing. "But I still wonder what drew you to her, and vice versa?"

"Chocolates, mostly."

Julien accidentally inhaled the smoke of the cigar and coughed. Elsa covered her smirk with another drink of her scotch, watching as he straightened and pounded on his chest. When he finally got his breathing under control, taking a swig of his whiskey to clear his throat, he offered her a wry laugh.

"I apologize, that caught me off guard. Though, not really all that surprising. Anna… has a fondness for the stuff, or dare I say an obsession."

Elsa smiled, but found she could not say anything in response. Anna's last words to her still rang in her head like a warning bell, and the look of anger and hurt in her face wracked her with guilt.

"I trust she is well?" she asked instead.

Julien gave her an odd look. "If you're referring to her recent accident, yes, she is well. Hans has been checking in on her, Gerda mailed me Dr. Bjorgman's bill, and from what I can tell she has made a speedy recovery. But wouldn't you know that already?"

Elsa paused as she reached for her drink. She watched Julien, smoke swirling overhead. Already the room was growing foggy and thick with the smell of the tobacco. She took her time drinking deeply from her scotch, ignoring Julien's intense stare. After several long, lingering seconds of silence, she finally set her glass down and sighed.

"I did call her, yes, so I knew she was well. Or, at least, recovering."

"You know, I saw her earlier. Wandering the streets." Julien gave another puff on his cigar, sending more smoke to coil under the ceiling. "Anna enjoys walking around the city, I suppose. But on my way over here, I didn't see hide nor hair of her."

"She has a tendency of disappearing without a trace."

"Yes, she does." Julien took another drink of his whiskey, and then smiled. "I'm curious to know what it is you two talk about."

Elsa tapped her fingers. She didn't like this. She wondered how Julien could know that Anna would tell her anything about the Westergaards' plans, or anything Julien was up to. Or maybe he didn't, and was just checking to make sure his "distraction" was behaving accordingly.

Elsa finally shrugged and said, "Mostly family."

Julien paused at that, his entire body growing stiff. His lips were no longer curled in a smile, his eyes no longer hooded but wide and alert. A dangerous darkness glared at her from those hazel eyes. "Family?"

"She was curious about my father. I'm… loathe to find out that my father did not seem to treat her well during these past few years."

Julien shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Yes, I'm afraid Nathaniel was not fond of her. I tried to curb his more… unfortunate reactions to her, but I couldn't be there all the time, of course." He waved his hand to clear the smoke around him. "Well, like I said, I thank you for your friendship with her. The poor girl has been lonely these past few years."

"Yes, it's despicable how this town has treated her."

"Quite. Now, I had another matter to discuss with you."

"I'm still going to your Hallow's Eve party."

Julien laughed all of a sudden, easing back into the chair. "Oh, I know you are. I had no worry about that. No, it's a completely different matter."

Elsa raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"I had been thinking these past few years. See, it pained me to hear that your father had disowned you. It was unfair of him to punish you so just for some young-minded flight of fancy. I'm glad to hear he came to his senses in his final days. However, I realized…" he turned his eyes onto Elsa, "You still have no heir."

Elsa could not help but glare. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"How do you plan to keep up the Beaumont legacy with no heir to speak of, Elsa?"

"I imagine I'll deal with that in the years to come."

Julien shook his head. "Ah, Elsa, you are smarter than that. Anything can happen in the next few years."

"Is that a threat?"

"It's a warning. You have no heir, no husband, and most of this town views you suspiciously after your abrupt leave and even more abrupt return. I'm offering you an alliance, a _true_ alliance with the Westergaard family. With us at your side, no one would dare lay a hand against you, and Weselton will be more easily swayed to give you an ear. Not to mention, my family's resources would help you plenty in your own business, especially as you try to recoup your losses."

Elsa gaped and sat back in her chair. Julien gave a self-satisfied smile, leaning back in his own seat and puffing on the cigar as he watched her cope with the thoughts in her head. Her eyes darted to and fro, her mouth hanging open, before she finally could think of a coherent question.

"Are you… proposing a marriage between me and one of your brothers?"

"You and Owen." He gave a little shrug. "I always thought you two would make a good couple."

Elsa's heart was pounding a mile a minute. Her hands were shaking now. Anna's words were screaming in the back of her head. Why would Julien want her to marry one of his brothers, except to ensure the Beaumont assets were available to the Westergaard family.

She cleared her throat and straightened her jacket before resting her hands on her lap. "I'm not accepting any marriage proposals at this time."

Julien shook his head. "Elsa, you don't have the luxury of refusing a marriage proposal right now. The entire town is watching you, waiting for a slip-up."

"Well, they'll be waiting for a long time."

"You have no heir!"

"My answer is _**no.**_"

Julien stopped, taken aback. Elsa wondered if anyone dared to tell him no before now. His eyes bored into her, his lips pursing tightly in anger. Elsa returned his stare defiantly. Julien worked his jaw, clearly thinking. Whatever thought he landed on was evidently not a good one, as he frowned deeply at her.

"You refuse to think clearly on this matter, Elsa."

"No," Elsa responded, her voice dark. "I'm thinking very clearly. I will not marry any of your brothers, Julien. Not now, not ever."

Julien's face twisted into such ugly anger, his lips curling and his eyes widening. His fists clenched, a stark white flame sparking and coating his left hand as he stood abruptly, quickly. Elsa's breath caught in her throat and she leaned away in her chair, raising her hands in defense. But when Julien moved his hand, the flame was gone, and he simply threw back his glass and drained his whiskey in one final gulp. Elsa let out a breath and her shoulders relaxed.

Julien slammed the glass on the table and left the cigar on the tray. "Waste of a damn good cigar," he muttered.

"You're free to take it with you," Elsa said, smiling faintly when she saw the dark glare Julien threw her. "I apologize you came all this way to waste your time. Give my regards to Daisy. I'll be seeing you both at the party."

Julien continued to glare at her as he picked up his jacket and put it on, patting and straightening it. He turned on his heel and stalked out the door. But as he reached it, he turned back and gave Elsa another piercing, calculating stare.

"I implore you to reconsider your stance on this matter, Elsa," Julien whispered, though his voice seemed to reverberate through the room. "I fear you'll come to regret it otherwise."

And he left, leaving Elsa alone in the smoke and dark.


	6. The Red Death

**A/N:** Hey guys, I'm so so _so_ sorry for how late this chapter is. I hit a total brick wall with it and then I went on a family vacation that ate up most of my time. The chapter just didn't wanna behave up until this past week. Then my beta was on vacation and so he only got to look at the chapter this weekend. I'm really very sorry, I'm gonna try to stick to the biweekly schedule from now on but there may be more instances of slipping behind like this bc I'm no longer ahead of the writing. I may take a break soon to try and get ahead again, but if it turns out to be more trouble than its worth, then I'm just gonna upload chapters as I finish them.

But it's finally here! And it's a long one! So I hope you enjoy it and again, I'm very sorry for the delay and thank you so much for all your support and patience. Keep an eye on my tumblr for information on any unplanned hiatuses.

**tw:** death, descriptions of gore and blood, brief physical abuse and implied physical abuse

* * *

**6**

**The Red Death**

* * *

"I told you she would say no."

Hans watched his older brother as he walked in through the door, setting his coat on a rack before seating himself in the opposite chair. The flames from the fireplace drew long shadows on his face, lighting his dark eyes menacingly. He stared at Hans as if staring through him.

"And how would you know she said no?" Julien asked in a soft voice.

Hans shrugged, smiling. "Something in your stance, your face. If she had said yes, you would look surprised, because even you didn't think she'd fall for it, yes?"

Julien smirked. "Clever Hans," he rasped. "You think you have all the answers, don't you?"

Hans said nothing, only watched his brother.

Julien sighed and turned to look into the fire. "It's just as well," he said, and he took a bell off the table and rang it. The air shifted and a single spark flashed. One of the servant boys showed up at the side of his armchair.

"Yes, sir?"

"Where is the brandy?" Julien asked, scowling.

"S-sir?"

"What do you think I ring the bell for, someone to talk to?" Julien smacked the side of the boy's head. "Bring me a drink, and _hurry_." The boy whimpered in response and flashed away as quickly as before. There was only half a second to breathe before he returned, bottle and glass in hand. He poured a considerable amount and handed it to Julien before setting the bottle on the table.

"Anything else, sir?"

"No, leave me for the night."

The boy nodded, poorly hidden relief clear on his face, bowed, and flashed away.

Julien gulped down his brandy and sighed again. "As I said, it's just as well. Elsa Beaumont will bow to us one way or another."

"How do you expect her to do that?" Hans asked, leaning back in his chair. When his brother offered the brandy to him, he shook his head. "The Beaumonts are proud, as you well know, and Elsa takes more after her father than she's willing to admit."

"If Nathaniel could be broken, than so can Elsa." Julien said with a sneer. "And even if she isn't, it doesn't matter. We have the council on our side."

"Except for Elam."

Julien scoffed. "One man makes no difference. Besides, he's utterly useless to us."

"Hm," Hans hummed in thought as he looked into the fire. "Wasn't it Father who said that even the most powerless jester could be useful if handled with care?"

"Have you spoken to Father?" Julien asked, taking another swig of his brandy. Hans had to smile at his oh-so-careful sidestep.

"He called earlier asking for you, but when I told him you were out, he hung up." Hans shrugged. "He only likes to speak to you, or Silas. But Silas wasn't around, either."

"What about Owen?"

"Owen is out with his friends, gambling. I expect him to return home any minute, drunk off his ass and with a pile of gold trailing behind him."

"Just as well." Julien downed the last of his brandy and set the glass down. As he stood up, he said, "I'm going to call Father."

"What about Anna?"

Julien stopped then, turning to stare back at Hans. His eyebrow raised, confusion clear on his face. "What about her?"

"Are you going to do anything?"

"About what?"

Hans frowned. Julien couldn't be this dense. He knew that his brother was not at all fit for leading the family in careful, political matters… too focused on the pleasures of riches rather than the opportunities. All the groundwork was already laid by their father and brothers, and others far before them. But he knew his brother wasn't hopeless. He was placed at the forefront of handling Westergaard affairs by their father, and their father did not make snappy decisions. He was like Hans, taking the time to think his steps through to the seconds, waiting to have a fortified plan before striking. Half of Julien's good fortune these past few years was because of counsel from their father, over the phone or through cryptic letters he had carefully warded so that his brothers could not see. But Hans himself was also to thank, of course. He had quickly established himself as Julien's right hand man in affairs, even if the others thought of Silas in the role. Julien and Hans plotted together often over how they would turn the town under their sway. They had just about had every important family under their thumb—Weselton, Kinsley, Beaumont… until Nathaniel ever-so mysteriously died.

So maybe it was blind hope that led Hans to believe his brother was smart enough to recognize a growing problem.

"Anna's budding friendship with Elsa is going to very quickly become an issue," Hans finally said, because evidently Julien was _not_ smart enough, and he would have to spell it out for him as usual.

Julien laughed suddenly, delighted surprise sparking in his eyes. His lips stretched wide in an eerie smile, and Hans was reminded uncomfortably of Anna. "Is that really what you're concerned about? Oh Hans," Julien walked over, mussing up Hans' hair a little too forcefully. "You put too much faith in the friendships of little girls."

"And you put too little." Hans tried to shove Julien away, but it was effortless. His brother may have been leaner, but he was also stronger. Julien kept a hard grip on Hans' neck, swaying him jerkily side to side. "The longer this friendship goes on, the closer they get, the more we risk Anna divulging information to Elsa. And then we lose everything."

"Anna won't tell Elsa, Hans. She's too afraid of us."

"You underestimate how much more powerful hatred can be. Anna hates us more than she fears us."

"Anna is a scared, powerless little girl in a town of strangers who despise her," Julien said with a wry chuckle, his smile still firmly in place. "And Elsa's foolish and persistent association with her has ensured her the ire of the town as well. Even if she _were_ to tell Elsa, what could they do? It's their word against ours, and their relationship will ensure that nobody will listen to either of them, should money prove to not be sufficient enough."

"And you underestimate Anna, too," Hans finally pulled out of his brother's grasp, though Julien had turned to walk away anyways. "Just because she has no magic—"

"Believe me, Hans, it's not her lack of magic that makes her powerless to fight back." Julien walked over to the desk and sat down. He took the phone and began to dial. "Operator, give me William Westergaard, Southern Isles." Julien looked to Hans, his amusement plainly gone. "You're free to go, Hans. I need to talk to Father. Do as you wish for the rest of the night."

_As if I don't already._ Hans kept his thoughts private and rose from the chair, bowing low in a show of respect. "I'll speak with you later." Hans walked out at a brisk pace, the sound of the crackling flames and the creak of the door all that accompanied his leave. He closed the door behind him and stood with his ear to the door, listening. But as soon as he closed the door, all sound from the room cut off.

_He had a servant ward the door,_ he realized with a smile. _So he _can_ be smart. I was surprised he took so long to do it in the first place. It's no matter, there are other ways to spy on him._

As if on cue, a spark flashed and a scroll fell to the floor at his feet. He bent over to pick it up and as he unrolled it, his smile grew wider. The words Julien and his father were speaking were being written on the parchment as if by an invisible hand.

Another spark flashed and a second piece of parchment fell to his feet, this one small and folded. Hans bent over to pick it up and opened it. This one was shorter, glistening in the red light of the lanterns, the ink still wet.

"Ignore your brother for now. We have business to attend to. Meet me tonight in our usual spot. Don't be late."

Hans pocketed both pieces of parchment and turned away from the door. A servant came up to him just as he thought about calling for one, and he gave his usual winning smile.

"Fetch me my coat, please, and have a wagon ready. I'm going out for a while."

"So late, sir?"

"Yes, I think the night air will do me some good."

Julien had given him the leave to do as he wished, after all.

* * *

Elsa woke up in the middle of the night to a piercing scream, and loud sobbing.

When she woke up in the morning, she had heard the news: two more bodies had been found in the financial district, hung from the street lamps. A few more days had passed, a body found with each one. With the Hallow's Eve party just around the corner, Elsa was greeted with Kai rushing into her office, face pale, and told her to come with him to the foyer.

Silas stood there, with two of his men. Though their faces were grim, Elsa caught sight of a devious smirk twisting Silas' lips, but he hid it well as he moved to take his cap off, revealing his buzz-cut hair.

The first two bodies, the ones hanging from the lamps, were workers of her father.

"What do you know of these men?" Silas asked, resting back in his chair, arms crossed. His men both had notepads out, writing down every word. Silas, for his part, seemed far more interested in examining his teacup.

"I don't know much, I'm afraid," Elsa said. She read over the death certificates, her eyes always zeroing in on their names. She had seen them each one time before. "They had been let off by my father some time back."

"Are you telling me," Silas said with a laugh and an odd cant of his head, "that your father didn't leave you any information on the workers he had let off? You have to understand why I don't see that as possible. The old man was a stickler for details."

Elsa shook her head. "I have nothing."

Silas' dark eyes bored into her, that self-sure smirk never leaving. Finally he sighed and ran a hand over his face. "Can you at least tell me _why_ your father let them go?"

"I'm afraid not. I was only told of this by another worker. My father…" Elsa paused, thinking her words over. She knew Silas was police commissioner and he was just doing his job asking her questions, but he was also a Westergaard, and the second oldest of the brothers left behind. She had no doubt he went to Julien with every word he heard, and her last meeting with the elder brother still stung.

"My father had them working on some records," she decided to say. "He let them go after that. From what I understand, they did not perform to his expectations."

Silas barked a laugh at that. "Now that does sound like something the old stiff would do. Very well, if you can't tell me anything more, then I'll be off."

Elsa watched as he gathered his things, gesturing at his men to follow. Before they could leave the room, she asked, "Who were the others?"

Silas looked over his shoulder at her, scoffing. "As if we would know that right away? We're still just investigating, Elsa. These things take time."

Elsa ignored his haughty tone and asked, "Do you know who could be responsible for these attacks? Or have an idea?"

Silas' face turned grim then, a deep scowl marring his already harsh features. "No, at least none that I can speak freely about. But rest assured, we will find this monster." And with that, he and his men left.

Elsa went right back to work after that, determined to find _something_ she knew was missing.

The next week was tiresome, and lonely. She had only Kai and some workers as her companions. Anna did not show up again at her usual time, though Elsa had heard tell of her roaming the streets at night. Regret built up with each passing day and no further word from Anna. Why did she have to bring up the gift? Why did she have to give it to Anna in the first place? If only she could take it all back…

Elsa would hover by the phone, trying to will herself to call Anna and apologize, just say she was sorry, it was that simple. But guilt and shame gnawed at the back of her head, and held back her hand. It got harder and harder until she stopped trying all together.

"You seem stressed, Elsa," Kai noted one day, serving her tea.

"I'm always stressed, Kai," Elsa grumbled, taking the tea and drinking a considerable amount. She rubbed her temples furiously; an awful migraine had settled in.

"I mean, more stressed than usual. And I know it's not the work. You don't have that usual look of frustration in your eyes."

Elsa sighed. "It's fine, Kai, nothing I can't handle."

The air stilled, and she could feel Kai shift next to her. There was a pensive look on his face, and she could sense the question on his lips before he asked it. "Would it... at all have anything to do with the girl?"

Leave it to Kai to figure out the truth. Elsa hadn't brought it up before because she knew the subject of Anna was so touchy, and she wasn't sure how Kai felt about their developing friendship. But now as he looked at her with caring, thoughtful eyes, she found she had nobody else to turn to.

"We had an argument last time we spoke." Though, now that Elsa thought back on it, it wasn't much of an argument. "I… did something that hurt her feelings, unintentionally, and when I tried to comfort her, I was careless with my words."

Kai nodded. "And you did not apologize?"

"I didn't really have a chance to. She was… very upset with me. Or maybe not with me, but there was definitely a problem with me specifically." Elsa sighed and laid her head down. "I've missed her, but I'm worried if I try to call her she won't want to talk to me."

"Well, you won't know until you call her, I suppose," Kai said, taking a seat next to her. "But even if she doesn't talk to you now, it doesn't mean you won't have a chance to apologize again. You can seek her out or you can let her come to you on her own terms. Do you…" Kai stopped for a moment, frowning as he thought his words over. He shook his head and resumed, "Do you think Anna doesn't understand that your actions were a mistake?"

"I…" Elsa thought about it. She couldn't say for certain what she thought. She realized then that she had only really had a few conversations with Anna. Yet when they spoke, it often felt to Elsa that they had known each other for a while, enough for Elsa to feel so strongly about her treatment. But could she say for certain that Anna was understanding?

"I'm not sure," Elsa had to admit.

"Well, then," Kai said with a shrug, "you'll just have to trust your instincts."

"So far, my instincts have been wrong every time," Elsa grumbled, but she supposed Kai had a point. Something in her gut was telling her that Anna would listen to her, and she genuinely believed it. But would it be wise to speak to her first? Or let Anna come to her on her own terms? That was the part that she couldn't be sure about.

Well, the party was just around the corner, and she would have to face Anna sooner rather than later.

_I'll talk to her, then._

* * *

The day of the party came faster than anyone was expecting it to, and yet not fast enough.

As the day approached ever closer on her calendar, practically taunting her, Elsa felt the anxiety pooling in her stomach. She could tell herself it was mostly just social anxiety, and it would be kind of true; she never liked engaging with the rest of the elite. But she knew it was a lot more than that. A lot more than just Anna, as well.

Something about this party felt like a passing point, and she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"Perhaps I shouldn't go," she told Kai, and even as she knew she would, a part of her was considering it.

"It's far too late to make that decision now, I'm afraid," Kai said wisely. "You already committed to it… if you were to back out now at the last minute, there would be an uproar. Your reputation would be severely tarnished and you would not be able to rely on the Westergaards for help. If you ever really could…"

Elsa had to smile to herself at the sound of Kai's conspiratorial mumbling, but it did not last. He was absolutely right, of course, but she wished he didn't have to be. Elsa sighed and set about making arrangements.

_Besides, if I don't go, Anna might think she was the reason for it… I can't have her be anymore upset than she already is._

It was a "best to get this over with" sort of deal, as her father would often put it.

Elsa already had her dress and mask ready. She went for something rather simple and perhaps predictable, a long, flowing short-sleeved winter-blue dress, with white gloves to her elbows and sharp blue heels made out of her own ice magic. To give it a bit more, she used her magic to layer icy decals on her skirt and heels, swirling in floral patterns. Her mask was simple, a blank feminine white mask with black lips and black around the eyes, with flowers and feathers adorning the left side of it. She had her hair done up in an elegant braid, her hair folded under and over each other in knots, with ice crystals glittering on her blonde tresses. And to finish it, a simple, beautiful, white crystal necklace, glittering brightly when caught by light.

"You look beautiful, Miss Beaumont," said one of her maids, bowing deeply. "Then again, you always look wonderful."

"Thank you," Elsa said with a polite smile. Kai came up to her side then, taking her by the arm. He was not overly dressed, a nice simple suit with a masculine gold mask. "Shall we get going, then?" she asked him.

"Whenever you're ready," he responded, patting her hand.

_I'm as ready as I'll ever be…_ Elsa kept that thought tucked away in the back of her mind, and simply nodded ahead, indicating for him to lead the way.

The carriage ride to the Westergaard manor was uneventful. The streets, at first, were not terribly busy, as people mostly just went about their day running errands or taking in the sights. A few were heading in the direction of the trains, or calling out for a carriage to take them to the manor, but most were working class people and thus had better things to worry about. But as the ride went on, the streets got busier and soon became thick with crowds of pedestrians and carriages. The attire became wilder, dresses of many colors, fine suits and vests with high collars. Many outlandish, sometimes fiendish masks glared out at her from the crowds. Some had not an ounce of humanity in them, and a vicious shiver ran up Elsa's spine.

Every single one of the founding families occupied their own corner of Arendelle. Beaumont in the west, Weselton in the north, Kinsley in the south, and Westergaard in the east. Each of the estates were large and magnificent in their own right, but none could stand against Westergaard Manor. The main house stood up high on a large hill that overlooked the entire eastern districts, and could even be seen from the forests on a clear day. The house itself was like a castle, tall and dark and powerful, and down below it, the rest of the estate stretched for several blocks. Some joked that Westergaard Manor was like a city within a city, and others who knew better said it with sincerity.

Elsa watched it all the way on the ride there, looming in the distance, the bright golden lights a beacon in the growing dark. A beacon for what, she wasn't entirely sure.

They followed the carriages up the stone pathway winding around the hill, red and gold lanterns lighting the way. As they got closer, energetic classical music filtered through the night and down the hill. Elsa wondered if the servants and tenants renting space in the estate, uninvited but still residing nearby, could hear the festivities from down below in the shadow of the manor. She desperately hoped not.

As the carriage approached the front of the manor, a servant stepped forward to open the door, letting Kai out, who led Elsa by her hand. Elsa made sure to tip the servant before following Kai up the grand marble steps, the door looming menacingly above. Large menacing statues of men, fair in appearance and shaped from gold, flanked either side of the entrance, wings spread wide and spears at the ready. Elsa very rarely visited the Westergaard manor, but every time she did, she could not help but shiver as she passed under the statues' stares, whispering a prayer for protection. They reminded her uncannily of gargoyles, not in look but in feel, and she could feel their stone eyes on her as they turned their blank faces to watch her approach.

A servant stood by the door, checking everyone's invitations to ensure their identity. Upon her approach, the servant tipped his hat and gave a careful eye over the leaflet Kai showed him.

"Right, welcome to the party, Miss Beaumont, Sir Kai," he said, clearing the way forward. "We hope you enjoy your time here."

"Thank you," Elsa said as they walked into the large foyer. A grand staircase arched three stories above, hallways winding off in every direction. A single large fountain rested in the center, a large statue of a winged woman with her arms reaching out towards the sky. Her skin glittered, mesmerizing, and her chest heaved as if with breath. The water seemed to form from her open hands, by magic or clever machinery Elsa never knew. The foyer itself was large enough to host several dozen people, but as it were, there was barely anybody. Only a scarce few, grouped together and whispering, every occasionally glancing back at Elsa as she entered.

_It's too empty… it all feels so false…_

"My lady, would you like to sign your name in the guestbook?"

There was a single podium nearby, a book open with names scrawled on the pages. Elsa took the pen into her hand and signed her name with a flourish. Her eyes trailed the other names to see who she could recognize—Kristoff, Sven, Elam, Richard…

_Anna._

Her name was written in small cursive letters, quiet and unobtrusive. Most people would probably overlook it, but once Elsa caught sight of her name, it was all that she could see. Elsa felt her heartbeat triple in excitement, warming her chest. She knew Anna would be there, and yet having the evidence there in front of her brought a wave of relief that relaxed her body.

"Kai, I'm going to look around and mingle… alone, if that's alright with you."

She did not have to see his face to know that he understood what she meant. Nevertheless, he nodded. "Very well, Miss Beaumont, I will be in the dining room if you need me."

Elsa watched him walk away, and then set off for the library.

The main house of Westergaard Manor was set up like a giant square, albeit a little crooked because of the way the hill had formed. Elsa could take the stairs and navigate the many halls to get to the library on the other side of the square, across from where the parlor was, near the ballroom where likely everyone else had gathered. But Elsa remembered enjoying the Westergaard gardens during those few times she accompanied her father here on his many business visits.

So Elsa walked up the front stairs, took a right and down the hall, taking a few more turns before heading down another set of stairs and out the backdoor. The gardens stretched on for some hundred yards before ending, the ballroom's doors thrown open and the festive music and laughter filtering around temptingly. Here and there, Elsa could see couples walking along the cobblestones, admiring the artwork of the flowers and shrubbery, the glowing crystal statues standing proud. Guards dressed in the red and gold colors of Westergaard marched between the hedges, black emblems glistening on silk and dark masks glaring at all.

Elsa walked the length of the garden, relishing the crisp night air and far-off music, getting louder with each step, but still quiet. She took her time, walking slowly, enjoying it while she could. Most others ignored her, only a few giving her a polite "ma'am" in greeting. Elsa nodded in return, but did not speak. She did not speak until she reached the stairs, and saw a lone figure standing prone before the open doors.

Elsa stopped, her heart following after. "Anna?"

Her back was to Elsa at first, shadowed by the light inside, so Elsa could not make out her costume very well. Only that she was dressed in a blood red, with long trousers, heels, and some kind of vest jacket all the same color. Her hair was done up in a strange bun, braided and coiled around itself, but even in the dark, Elsa could make out the single white stripe entwined with the rest of her copper tresses. Bright pearl-white gems adorned it, sparkling in the light. Dark gloves reached up to her elbows.

Elsa noticed the girl's shoulders tense abruptly. She felt her heart pound with the seconds that passed before Anna turned around. Elsa swallowed down her concern and tried to keep her composure, but when Anna fully faced her, she could not help but gasp and step back. Her mask was red to match her outfit, but shaped in the visage of a skull. Red teeth stretched wide in a mirthless grin, the eye sockets so deep and dark that Elsa could only just barely make out Anna's teal eyes staring at her through the holes.

It was… a grisly appearance, and one she did not expect from Anna. Though, she realized quietly to herself, Anna had a way of defying expectations. Maybe, instead, this was exactly like Anna. It was bold to come to one of the most populous parties of the high elite, dressed in the likeness of a reaper, when the town condemned her as one.

It was… spiteful. A word Elsa wouldn't have otherwise associated with Anna. Perhaps she really didn't know her after all.

There was some hesitancy in the way Anna moved, turning around slowly and descending the steps, her head held high and her shoulders back as if she was trying to create distance between herself and Elsa. It made her heart drop with worry. What if Anna wasn't ready to forgive her?

"Elsa," Anna answered, her voice a little too high. "Well, you sure look spiffy! I love the feathers, it's a nice touch!"

"Ah… thank you." Elsa wanted to say she liked Anna's own outfit, but she wasn't sure if that was the truth. Anna would be able to tell if she was lying, as well, so instead she asked, "Where did you get your outfit?"

"Oh," Anna waved her hand, as if it were unimportant, but Elsa could see her teal eyes watching her. "Gerda bought the material and made it for me. The mask was a little harder to find. It's nice, isn't it?"

"... It'll certainly get you some attention." Should she ask? Oh, she might as well. "Do you… often come to these parties dressed like this?"

"This will be the first time!" Anna said with a giggle. "I've already gotten a few looks. I can't wait to see how Julien reacts."

"You'll get to know soon enough. We'll be meeting him once we get inside."

Anna's eyes darted over Elsa's shoulder, and Elsa turned to see Hans approaching. He wore his usual formal attire, though with a fine gold vest beneath his white jacket, and his usual white gloves, but covering his face was a gold-plated wolf's mask, quiet and pensive, with his hazel eyes peering out between the small eye slits. He walked up to them, holding himself proudly, and Elsa could practically _hear_ his dark, deep thoughts, though she couldn't take a guess to what he was thinking either way.

"He's not going to be happy with you, Anna," Hans warned, and Elsa could hear frustration in his voice. She couldn't be certain if it was directed at Anna or his brother. Perhaps both.

"Is he ever?" Anna asked, crossing her hands behind her back and tilting her head at a questioning angle.

Hans shrugged, sighing. "Fair enough, do as you will, then. Not that you ever needed our permission." He then turned to Elsa and bowed his head, deeply and respectfully. "It's so very nice to see you've made it, Elsa."

"Of course I've made it, Hans." Elsa could hear Anna snickering and turned her head slightly to see her watching them.

Hans ignored her. "And how _is_ your night, so far?"

"It's going fine, but, it's only just started," Elsa gave a little laugh. "Plenty of time for surprises still."

"Indeed." Hans drew himself up straight and offered his arms to the two of them. "Well, then, shall we, ladies?"

Elsa took his left arm while Anna took the right, and together the three of them walked into the ballroom. Servants bowed but gave pause when they saw Anna's attire. Their faces paled and they forcefully looked anywhere else, mostly choosing to examine the floor like it was suddenly the most interesting thing in the world. Several of the party guests looked over when they saw someone enter and drew back in shock and disgust. Elsa heard many muttering curses under their breath, some crossing themselves superstitiously. A few guests called for someone to fetch Julien, and others simply left the room in a huff. Elsa felt her neck grow hot in discomfort and Hans gave Anna a look that, if not for the wolf mask, would probably have been reproachful.

Anna, for her part, simply stood there with her head held high, swaying her body with her arms behind her back, enjoying the attention however negative.

"Anna."

The three of them looked up to see Julien and his wife approaching them. Julien's mask was of a dark shade, caricatured in an exaggerated, grotesque frown like a theatre mask. Oddly fitting, especially with the anger she saw radiating from his eyes. Daisy's was, at first glance, a normal mask imitating that of a young woman, but on closer inspection it had many dark veins webbing across it, and was done in such realistic a fashion as to be uncanny. Elsa could not stare at it for very long without feeling discomfort, and so she looked away. At the corner of her eye, she could see Daisy standing with her hand to her chest, and she heard a sharp intake of breath.

"Anna," Julien's soft voice rang clearly, "your attire is different this night."

Anna looked down at her own clothing as if in shock. She looked up at Julien and tilted her head in mock confusion. "Do you not like it?"

Julien paused, as if considering it. Next to him, his wife tensed. "It doesn't suit you," he finally said.

"Really?" Anna twined her fingers together and gave a small, innocent giggle. "I think it suits me perfectly. That's why I went with it tonight."

Julien didn't say anything in response. His eyes instead flicked to Hans, as if demanding an explanation. Hans only stepped back with his hands in surrender, claiming no responsibility. Elsa shuffled her feet back and forth, looking from the Westergaards to Anna, who continued to feign innocence.

"May I take my leave to the library?" she asked.

Julien's arm twitched, and Elsa had a sudden concern that he was going to hit her, but instead he gestured his hand in the direction of the far-off room. "Go right ahead. Your spot is clear, as always."

Anna bowed low, a strange show of respect from her, before promptly turning on her heel and walking through the ballroom to the exit. Heads followed her, as did several curses, but she took no notice in any of it. Elsa watched her until she walked over the threshold of the library and disappeared into shadow.

Daisy suddenly turned to her husband and gave a harsh whisper, "You _must_ do something about her, she's making a mockery of us! God only knows what the town will say of this."

"And what do you propose I do, my dear wife?" Julien sounded tired.

"Kick her out!"

"Is that a demand?" Julien shook his head then. "It will only make things worse. I can control this outburst of hers, just like I have the others."

Daisy humphed and turned on her heel, stalking out across the ballroom, likely to speak with her snobby friends about Anna's new trespass.

Elsa cleared her throat then, unsure of what to do. "Julien," she said, and felt his stare as he turned and loomed over her. Her voice stuck in her throat for a few seconds, and finally she forced out the first thought she could think of. "I've noticed your sons aren't here?"

"They have been retired to bed. Daisy didn't want them around the guests with everyone drinking." Julien then waved his hand in dismissal, turning away from them both. "I have my own business to attend to. Enjoy the party, you two." And with that he was gone.

"Eager to get going," Hans muttered, his eyes following after his brother. "But then again, I guess we can't blame him? Anna will have created quite a stir tonight. Not that she doesn't already."

Elsa sighed. Already this party was getting off on an… undesirable footing. And, she realized, she still hadn't gotten a chance to apologize to Anna. She had been so taken aback by her dress that she had completely forgotten, and then the girl went off with barely a word to her. Though, with Hans and then Julien interrogating her, Elsa guessed she wasn't exactly on Anna's list of priorities in that moment.

Elsa looked out across the room and saw the guests attempt to resume their mingling. Many were already on the dance floor, swaying in time with the soft melodic music. A few others were at the table, drinking and chatting away. Elsa could spy Owen's jester mask, and saw him wave at her. Near him were Kristoff and Sven, Kristoff in his plague doctor mask and Sven in a deer mask. They both turned when they saw Owen waving, and waved as well. She smiled and waved in kind.

She began to walk in their direction, intent on speaking with Owen about his brother's proposition. A hand touched her elbow.

"Elsa?" Hans' voice grated on the lovely music, and Elsa turned to see his other hand out in offering. "Could I, perhaps, have just a single dance with you?"

Elsa paused. It would be rude to say no, and yet she felt her body tremble with the force of the word, eager to be thrown in his face. Many eyes were staring at them, then, and she got the sense that many of them were the eyes of people she did not want to displease.

"Of course," she said slowly, forcefully, all while swallowing down her own truth.

Hans led them out to the middle of the ballroom floor. They faced each other and he put his free hand on her hip while she put hers on his shoulder, and then began a slow waltz in time with the music. Elsa could feel many eyes watching, but she paid no attention to them. She knew, in her heart, this dance meant nothing. Just another part of the game she and Hans often played.

"So, how have you been, Elsa?" Hans asked in a low voice. "It's been a while since we've seen each other and talked."

"I've been… busy."

"I can imagine. How is all that going? As smoothly as possible, I hope."

Elsa squinted her eyes, but she could see nothing betraying Hans' thoughts in his own hazel eyes through the wolf mask. "It could be smoother," she said slowly, carefully choosing her words. "But I'm sure it's nothing I can't handle."

"That's the spirit."

"And what about you, Hans?"

"Oh, I'm the same as I've always been."

Elsa had to smile at that, and she knew he could hear it in her words, for good or ill. "That's comforting to hear."

"I heard you and Julien had an altercation."

Elsa tried not to trip over her feet in surprise, processing his words as she thought of an adequate response. Finally, she said, "A disagreement, yes."

"He wants you to marry Owen."

Elsa cocked her head to the side. "Are you hurt by that?"

Hans laughed, gentle and amused, but there was an edge to it. "Not at all! No offense meant, Elsa, but you're not really my type. And besides, we've never really been close like that, have we?"

Elsa allowed herself a small chuckle, hoping not to betray the relief she felt inside. "I suppose we haven't. Though I'm not so sure I'm Owen's type, either."

Hans shrugged. "If he even has one. But Julien was hoping, since you two have always been close friends, that he would be able to convince you to marry him. Out of the three of us remaining unmarried, he _is_ the most… attractive partner, I suppose. I have nothing to offer, and Silas is a brute. But Owen? He's charming, and knows how to have a good time. Though he has rocks for brains when it comes to financial matters."

"I think you sell yourself too short, Hans. You're very charismatic."

"Maybe, and it has its perks, but you'd be surprised how very little that gets me. For instance, I know you really didn't want to dance with me."

Elsa eyed him carefully, trying to discern any kind of emotion from his eyes. "Oh?"

Hans chuckled. "You're easier to read than you may think. But it's like I said, charisma can only go so far. Too many people here know my tricks. I suppose you're one of them." Hans stepped off then, breaking the dance, and bowed low. "Anna will be seated next to the old grandfather clock. I'll see you later, Elsa."

Elsa watched him as he turned and walked away, carefully sidestepping several pairs of dancers before disappearing into the throng of party-goers. Elsa looked around, unsure now that she was alone. Owen had left, though Kristoff and Sven were still present, signing to each other while they ate. She saw Daisy in a corner with a few of her friends, and every now and then they looked in her direction. Silas was patrolling the area, a large lion mask covering his face. In a crowd of people, she spotted Elam Caldwell, tall and towering over most of the others, wearing a featureless white mask. Evidently he was in the middle of a joke, as the others were laughing. He saw Elsa looking at him and raised his glass in greeting.

Somebody bumped into her, jostling her forward. "Sorry, ma'am," she heard someone say.

_Oh, right, I'm sort of standing in the middle of a dance floor._ "Beg your pardon," she said as she quickly walked off into the crowd, and made her way over to the library. She looked this way and that, but Hans seemed to have gone somewhere else entirely.

The library was dark, with only a few lanterns lit in a dark, brooding red. Large bookshelves adorned the walls, zigzagging and creating a large maze smelling of old and new parchment. There weren't many other people in the room, one or two people who hid in corners or sat in the plush chairs, reading. But every now and then, they would cast glances towards the far end of the room, where stood a looming grandfather clock, ticking the seconds away. In its shadow was a single chair, already taken.

Elsa walked up to where Anna sat, watching her engrossed in some large tome. Looking carefully, Elsa saw that it was written in a bizarre glyph-language, and she wondered idly if Anna could actually read it, and if so, how many languages Anna knew.

"You know, there's probably a better place to read," she said teasingly. "More light over in that corner, for instance."

Anna looked up from the book, and she couldn't suppress the shiver that ran down her spine at the sight of the red death mask from which sharp teal eyes stared back at her.

"Oh! I suppose you're right," Anna's voice was so soft and sweet, a strange clash with her ghastly appearance. "But I prefer this seat. Something about the sound of the clock is soothing to me. I mean, I know I can hear it through the whole room, but it just feels better to have it next to me."

"Really? I feel like it would drive me a little crazy."

"A little crazy is good sometimes! Better than feeling nothing, right?"

Elsa laughed abruptly at that, and she felt her chest warm. "I suppose when you put it that way, it makes sense."

Anna's eyes shrunk into crescents, her skin at the edges crinkling in a clear smile, but she said no more as she turned back to her book. Elsa felt her skin grow hot, and she crossed her arms over her chest in discomfort. Looking around, she saw no nearby chairs.

"Do you… mind, if I join you?"

Anna looked up, her head at a crooked angle as if examining Elsa. Finally she shrugged and said, "Go right ahead. Nobody's stopping you."

"I know, but I would still rather ask to make sure it's okay with you. I know you spend time here for privacy."

"It's alright, Elsa," Anna giggled. "Really, but I appreciate you asking me."

Elsa took a chair from the far corner and dragged it over, positioning it so that she faced Anna, but still angled so that she could see the rest of the library, and also give Anna room. As she sat down, Anna gave her a sharp little nod, as if to further assuage her fears, then returned to her reading. Elsa wasn't going to bother Anna; she would wait for her to start conversation before she tried to say anything. She instead busied herself with reading through a book she found on a shelf in the corner. It seemed to be a book on the politics of Arendelle, but Elsa had to admit that none of the words really registered to her. After several minutes, she gave up and closed the book.

"I would think reading would be your thing," Anna said next to her, turning a page. "I'm always finding you with your nose in a book."

"Aha… poetry and fiction are vastly more interesting to me than reading about history and politics."

"It's all interesting to me! Though I admit I'm a bit of a history nut."

"Really?" Elsa turned to face Anna more directly. "Is that why you came to Arendelle?"

Anna paused, tilting her head, as if giving it great thought. "You could say that, yes. Arendelle definitely has a rather rich history, that many people in this town ignore or have forgotten about. But I've always had a thing for history. Finding out the reasons for things, where it all came from… my mother used to tease me about it. She said there wasn't a single question I wouldn't ask. It used to drive my teachers nuts, but my mother said it was a good thing. That I should always be asking questions."

"That's a good thing to teach children, I would think," Elsa said slowly. "I don't think I asked enough questions. Or rather, I never asked the _right_ questions."

"Your father was a strict man, yes? He didn't strike me as the kind of parent would tolerate too many questions." Anna flinched, looking up at Elsa shyly. "Er, sorry, that was rude of me."

"You're fine, Anna, you're… not wrong." Elsa sighed. "My father taught me to ask questions about the workings of business and politics, he taught me to ask questions like 'how are you sir' and 'how is your family'? Questions that don't actually matter."

"There's no such thing as a question that doesn't matter, Elsa," Anna said, and Elsa noted that she sounded strangely mature for her age, her voice deeper and not as wistful. "It's the intent that matters."

Elsa pondered her words for a while. "That's true, though I'm not sure I ever really had an intent other than wanting it over as soon as possible. I hated my lessons and I hated socializing, but my father never really gave me a break from either."

"A child should never hate learning…" Anna tilted her head, and Elsa could see her eyes squinting in the near-dark. "It's instinct to wanna learn about the world."

"You had good teachers," Elsa said, smiling. "Or at the very least, a parent who encouraged it."

Anna giggled to herself, but something in it sounded forced. "My mother was my best teacher. She could calm me. The others did the best they could with a rambunctious little child who could never sit down at her desk properly."

Elsa laughed. "You sound a lot like Owen as a child. He could never stay seated, his mother was always having to remove him from places for being so loud. I could've used more of that as a child."

Anna gave a non-committal hum, but said nothing more.

"May I ask, where you grew up, Anna?"

Anna shrugged, waving her hand as if in dismissal. "Nowhere special or anything. Just a quaint little town."

"Didn't you say that it was similar to Arendelle?"

"Of a sort." Anna redirected her attention back to her book, and Elsa got the sense she wasn't keen to talk.

"Oh… I'm sorry if I'm prying too much."

"You're fine, Elsa." But there was something in her voice that didn't convince Elsa, and she recalled their last conversation and how it went south so quickly.

"No, actually, Anna, there's something I wanted to talk to you about."

Anna stilled then, and she looked back up at Elsa. Her teal eyes were sharp and piercing, staring at Elsa curiously. "Oh?"

Elsa drew in a deep breath, preparing herself. All of a sudden all of the words she had thought up before became muddled and tied together in her head. She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts as much as possible. Best to just say it. "I need to apologize for my actions. I never meant to hurt you but, I was wrong… to do what I did after knowing how you struggle with magic. And I've been wrong in how I've acted towards you. You're not just some mystery to be solved, and I shouldn't think of you that way, not after I've seen how the whole town has been treating you."

Anna was still as a statue at first, her teal eyes tracing over Elsa as if seeing her for the first time. At long last, she sighed and closed her book. "It's quite alright, Elsa. I know you had good intentions, and I know it's only natural for you to be curious about me since you've been gone for so long and… all these horrible things have been happening in my presence. And if I could tell you the answers to your questions, I would, believe me. I just got… defensive. It just feels like nobody's willing to get to know me for _me_, rather than what I represent. People have their ideas of what I'm like, or what I'm up to, or what I can do for them. I think I've just been a little sick of it all."

"I know, and I'm sorry. I really _would_ like to get to know you, you know…" Elsa took Anna's hand into her own. "For you. If you would allow it."

Anna looked down at their joined hands and looked back up at Elsa. The skin around her eyes were crinkled again, and Elsa wished she could see the beautiful smile hidden beneath that ghastly mask. "Of course, Elsa. And thank you for the apology. Of course I forgive you. I was never truly angry with you, just… upset, in general. But I really do appreciate it."

Elsa smiled, wishing Anna could see it, and nodded. "Right. So, where do we get started?"

Anna tilted her head. "Pardon?"

"I want to get to know you better. All I know is you like chocolates, and you grew up somewhere small but like Arendelle, and your mother—" She felt Anna's hand tighten around hers and cleared her throat. "And about your mother. But I don't know anything else, really. Other than you apparently enjoy making a scene in front of rich snobs."

Anna laughed, a loud and genuine laugh that had the other few inhabitants of the library looking over in shock. "Oh yes, it's a favorite past-time of mine. You should try it someday."

"Oh, I don't think I could—"

"Why not? You may be rich but you're not exactly a snob."

Elsa retracted her hand and crossed her arms. "I just couldn't. I have too much at stake regarding my reputation."

Anna sighed. "I suppose you're right. It wouldn't do to get on people's bad sides anymore than you already have."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Anna waved her hand, as if presenting something grand and magical. "Just spending time with me has labeled you a traitor in the eyes of most townspeople. The snobs are disgusted and the commoners are enraged. There are very few people who don't see me as some kind of curse, like that Elam fellow, and their voices are too often drowned out by the others." She giggled quietly to herself. "Honestly, Elsa, you're afraid of making a scene and ruining your reputation, but you sitting here with me has already kind of made a scene of your own."

Elsa looked down at the space between them. It had gotten smaller. Their chairs were brushing against one another, and Anna had her hand on her knee. "I suppose so… but that's their fault, not mine."

"Ha! That's the spirit! You'll be a certified troublemaker yet!"

Elsa giggled in response, and for a moment she was mesmerized by the excitement glowing in Anna's eyes. She didn't see her mask, but rather she could picture perfectly that large, beaming smile, a little crooked on one side, and the countless freckles bunched up in her rosy cheeks. Elsa shook her head and the spell passed, revealing that ghastly skull mask once more, but she could still the light in Anna's eyes shining up at her. She opened her mouth to say more, but then she noticed that somebody was walking towards them. She looked up and realized that the somebody was Julien. Anna had also taken notice and leaned back in her chair, head held high.

"Hello, ladies," he said in his soft, deep voice. "Are you two enjoying yourselves?"

"Very much so," Anna responded.

"Would it trouble you, Anna dear, if I were to borrow Elsa for a moment? I have some business to discuss with her."

Anna looked to Elsa, her eyes questioning. Elsa only nodded in kind. Anna turned back to Julien and shrugged. "It doesn't seem to bother her, so it doesn't bother me."

"Fantastic. Elsa, come with me, please." He turned around and walked off without waiting.

Elsa sighed and stood. "I'm sorry, Anna, I'll be back to talk more later. I promise."

"Oh, I know." Anna giggled. "Don't worry so much, Elsa."

Elsa smiled and nodded, then left to join Julien. He had already left the library, and her sight, so that she had to ask somebody else where he had gone. They pointed her to the corner of the ballroom, where he stood with a drink in hand, watching his guests dancing and laughing and overall enjoying the party.

"So, what is this business you have to discuss with me?" Elsa asked as she approached him.

"You should spend some time with Owen. He's looking rather lonely."

Elsa turned to see Owen back at the food table, his mask askew as he joined Kristoff enthusiastically in an eating contest. They had attracted a large crowd of boisterous young men, all cheering them on. Sven was acting as referee.

"He seems fine to me." She turned back to look at Julien, who was keenly watching her. "Are you worried about me spending time with Anna?"

"I worry for your sake. While I'm glad you two are friends, and I thank you again for that, I've heard some of the guests here say some very unflattering things about you. I'm afraid Daisy has been… fueling their conversations. I understand you caring for Anna, but perhaps tonight is not the night for you to accompany her. She's made quite a ruckus with her appearance, more than usual. Everyone's quite offended."

"They seem to have gotten over it."

Julien laughed, and he actually sounded amused. "I suppose they do, to somebody who doesn't know any better. But you know better."

"I do," Elsa admitted. "And I don't care."

"You really ought to, you're in charge of your own business now. And what's more, you're young, and unproven. The council has their eyes on you like hawks. They're waiting for the slightest slip-up."

"And your family could help me with that."

"All I am saying," Julien said, and she could sense the desperation in his voice. "Is if the Beaumont and Westergaard families joined, it would make your troubles much easier to manage. Think of it, Elsa, with the banks and trade joined at the hip, you could make up what your father lost in record time. Your number of investors would double, if not triple, and you would have the assistance of my father's years of expertise."

"I don't want it."

Julien paused, as if he couldn't quite understand what she had said. He sighed and shook his head. "You are truly a fool to reject such an offer."

"If you or your father want to help me in learning the ropes of running a business, then I welcome it. But I'm not going to marry into your family just to receive it. For one, I don't want to marry. I do not need a husband to teach me or help me in running my father's business. For another, I do not love Owen as anything more than a friend. Nor for that matter do I have feelings for Hans, or Silas."

"This is nothing about _feelings_, Elsa," Julien said the word like it was poison. Elsa found herself suddenly looking around for Daisy. She was huddled far off on the other side of the room, sipping at wine with three other women. "This is about what's smart. This is about business. Do you want everything your father did to be in vain?"

Elsa bristled, balling her hands into fists as her skin flared an angry red. She took a step forward and enjoyed the sight of Julien stepping back in shock. "I'll decide what my father would want of me and his business. Do you understand me?"

Julien stilled, and Elsa thought she saw anger finally die in his eyes. Or maybe it solidified. Or maybe it was never anger, maybe it was something else. She got the sense that he was making a final decision. When he spoke, he made no movement, and his voice was little more than a whisper. "I suppose there's nothing I can do to convince you otherwise."

"That's the first correct thing you've said yet."

"Well, then…" Julien raised his glass. "Here's to a good successful business, then." He pushed his mask back enough for him to down the rest of his drink in one go. He then handed Elsa his empty glass and stalked off through the crowd of people and out of sight.

Elsa sighed and called over a servant. "I'll need a full one."

"Yes, my lady, what drink?"

"Anything strong."

* * *

Anna did not return to her book when Elsa left.

She instead returned it to its place on the shelf—she had tired of reading it—and she left her place next to the clock. She walked out of the library, turning a nearby corner, and climbing the two sets of stairs. When she came to a level floor, she walked out to a balcony that overlooked the ballroom down below. She watched, as she often did, hidden in the shadows.

People were dancing to lively music. The music itself did not come from normal instruments, played by human musicians, but rather a single man who waved his hands in the air as if conducting, the music filtering through the air from his fingertips that sparked with each note they played. He stumbled a few times, no doubt affected by her attention, but shook his hands and resumed, and Anna looked away. She had to admit, she enjoyed the sound of the music.

Elsewhere, people were huddled, talking and laughing, completely unaware of her spying. Elam Caldwell was enjoying an audience for his jokes, as usual. Julien's snobby wife and her snobby friends sulked nearby in a corner, and she sighed, relieved to be free of their judgmental stares. She rubbed her wrists in memory of the last time Daisy caught her "snooping" around. Anna glared—how she wished she could knock that awful woman's drink right into her face! But even she didn't dare to do that. She tested Julien's anger far too often, and didn't always get away unscathed.

A loud noise then diverted her attention. Owen and Kristoff were wrestling, seemingly over another contest of theirs. The young men gathered around them were yelling and goading them on, clapping enthusiastically. Sven only shook his head and half-heartedly tried to pull them apart, but she had a feeling he was enjoying the spectacle just as much as anyone else. Nothing serious was ever meant by it anyways.

Anna's eyes traced the entirety of the ballroom, searching desperately for Elsa, but she couldn't find her. She did not trust what "business" Julien wanted to speak to her about. He hadn't called her in for his usual check-up in a while, so she knew he was up to something.

_It couldn't be… it's still too early. There's no way they found—_

There was movement nearby and Anna's head snapped up.

Across the way, standing against the railing of the balcony directly across from her, Hans stood watching. Not the ballroom downstairs. He was watching her. She could not see his eyes, but she knew, the way that wolf mask seemed to peer at her. He was waiting for something, waiting for her to make a decision. A decision she had already made a long time ago. She stood her ground and glared right back at him, right into the dark eye holes of the wolf mask.

Several minutes passed, the laughter and music of the party down below sounding a mile away. Neither of them moved. Anna barely breathed, and she felt the hollow beating of her heart as if from somewhere else.

Finally, Hans pushed away from the balcony. He gave her a crooked nod in acknowledgement, before briskly turning away. She watched him dissolve into the shadows.

Anna turned away from the railing and followed after him.

* * *

Elsa was growing tired.

The night drew on, longer than it had any right to. Some time after Julien, and calming down, Elsa returned to the library, but Anna was no longer in her spot. She asked someone nearby if they had seen where she had gone, and they said she went upstairs, but when she did so herself, she found nothing but empty, echoing hallways, and the silence got to her so much she quickly returned downstairs. Owen and Kristoff caught her attention and she joined them. They had evidently calmed down from their wrestling, and she enjoyed their company. Though she hoped that Julien didn't see her and Owen spending time together.

"You've been avoiding me all night," Owen joked, poking her side. "Did my brother finally harass you about marrying me?"

"You knew?"

"Of course," Owen snorted. "He wouldn't shut up about it. 'You and Elsa would make such a lovely couple, and you don't have to worry about helping her with the business, just leave that to Father and me.' Yeah, okay, Julien, whatever." He shook his head. "I think he's just eager to be rid of me. If we marry, I would have to move in with you, because like hell you're moving. Someone has to look after the Beaumont estate, yeah?"

Elsa shook her head. "I don't think it has to do with you, Owen."

Owen shrugged. "Either way, it's stupid. I mean, no offense, Elsa. I love you and all, but that's why I don't wanna marry you."

Elsa choked on her drink, coughing. "E-excuse me?"

Owen laughed. "Can you imagine having _me_ as a husband? I would drive you up the wall. You'd probably kill me in three weeks."

"I give her two," Kristoff mumbled. Owen jostled him with his elbow, causing him to spill his drink onto his vest. "What the hell, Owen! Are you _disagreeing?!_"

"Not at all! But you're just being a smartass because I kicked your ass _twice!_" Kristoff cursed at him and he laughed again.

Elsa shook her head. "I would not kill you, Owen. But no, I can't imagine you as my husband."

"Exactly! You deserve better than a knucklehead like me. Besides, I like you better as a friend than a wife."

Elsa smiled. "Thank you. I like you better as a friend than a husband."

Owen put a hand to his chest and wiped away a nonexistent tear. "Oh, Elsa… that's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me…"

Elsa laughed, and the conversation returned to simpler, more enjoyable matters. At some point, the four of them decided to take a walk through the gardens, needing a taste of the fresh air. Owen did most of the talking, of course, but Kristoff had his own input. He had a lot to talk about after all, with the town the way it was, most healers could not perform their usual magics, and so he was getting a flood of new patients each day.

"I suppose it's silly to complain about getting more business," Kristoff said with a shrug. "But well, as a doctor, I don't think it's ethical of me to _want_ more patients. Anyways, I just wish we knew what the hell was going on with everyone's magic." Sven nodded his agreement.

Elsa didn't talk much, mostly because she did not find herself willing to talk about much. Owen had asked her what she and Anna were talking about, and Elsa shrugged it off, unwilling to talk about such private matters. Kristoff and Sven asked her about her estate, and she again diverted the conversation away from it. After a while, Elsa realized that she was rather done with the party. She longed for the quiet of her home, and the comfort of her bed. But she didn't want to leave without saying goodbye to Anna. Where she could have possibly gone off to…?

"We could go looking for her," Owen said when Elsa brought it up. "Sometimes she just likes to wander the manor. It's possible she grew tired of the party already as well, and left. Julien has a suite set up for her during these parties, though she rarely uses it. We could go check!"

"That sounds fine," Elsa said, and the four of them began to head back inside.

A scream split the air.

Elsa turned sharply in the direction of the ballroom. Already she could see a crowd growing around the entrance. Someone was sobbing.

_No… it can't be…_

Owen bolted off and she joined him, hearing Kristoff and Sven right behind them. They reached the crowd within seconds. Owen shoved his way past everyone to get to the center. He stopped in his tracks and let out a string of curses. Elsa joined him and gasped.

Another mangled body lay thrown, discarded, on the steps leading into the ballroom. Its head lolled back, almost as if the person had just decided to take a nap. Once again, the arms and legs were missing, and the chest had been torn open, revealing the empty cavity inside where the heart should have been. The head had been wrapped in cloth, but now with the addition of a simple frowning theatre mask. Elsa did not recognize it.

"Come, Elsa," she heard a voice behind her, and she looked back to see Elam tugging at her arm, his voice dripping with barely contained fear. "You shouldn't see this, it's too gruesome."

Elsa looked back at the crowd. Many of them were whispering among each other, but a few were shouting, demanding Silas find the culprit and arrest them for ruining their evening. Kristoff and Sven had knelt down, examining the body. Owen could only stand there next to her, watching, frozen to the spot in horror. Silas was barking out orders to the guards, trying to verbally and physically push the onlookers away. Julien and Daisy stood at the top of the steps, looking down at the body. Daisy let out a sob and turned away into Julien's chest, who could only hold her tight, his free hand curled into a fist.

Hans and Anna were nowhere to be seen.


	7. A Good Meal for Anything

**A/N:** I'm back! Sorry sorry _sorry_ for the long wait. Life stuff came up and then school started and this semester has just been _crazy._ I'm still busy with finals coming up tho, so I cannot promise a return to schedule, but I'll do my best. I'm also sorry for the shorter than normal chapter, it was longer but my beta and I decided to split it. Lots of Elsanna in this one tho!

Anyways, thank you so very much for your patience you guys, it means a lot to me. :)

**tw:** discussion of abuse

* * *

**7**

**A Good Meal for Anything**

* * *

Gloomy storm clouds gathered for days and rain blanketed the streets of Arendelle.

"God's pissed about something," Kristoff muttered, looking out the window at the grey torrent. "I may not be a religious man but even I'd feel worried about the look of things."

Elsa sighed and leaned back in her chair. She couldn't say for sure what her religious viewpoint was, though she tried not to be too superstitious. But Kristoff was right; a dark stormy day was often considered an omen in the best of times. Having several follow such a commotion like Julien's party… maybe this really was God trying to tell them something.

Very few listened, however. Julien and Daisy went right ahead in planning their next big soirée, a pre-Holidays holiday party… whatever that meant. And the elite and snobby and sophisticated went right back to their usual gossip and excitement for the upcoming party, pushing the blame and problems of the city onto the poorer classes and "that devil girl."

Speaking of Anna… Elsa still didn't know where she had run off to during the party.

"How is Anna?" Elsa asked. "I can imagine what people are saying to her now… or what Julien and Daisy are saying to her, anyways."

"Julien, I wouldn't worry about. Apart from a lecture about her appearance, maybe." Kristoff walked away from the window and sat himself in the chair across from Elsa's desk. "Daisy's the one who's making a stink about everything, said Anna's trespass cursed their party, or something utterly stupid like that. As for Anna, she's fine. She's handling everything…" Kristoff huffed a laugh, giving a wry smile. "Well, the way she usually does."

"Which is to say that she's ignoring it or making a joke out of it?" Elsa asked with a smile of her own.

"Both," Kristoff responded with a shrug. "You know, for someone who's only just barely gotten to know Anna, you already know her pretty well. Anna doesn't take things in this city seriously."

Elsa sighed. "I think… she does. She just doesn't like to show it."

"Hm," Kristoff pondered on her words. "True, I guess. Ah, well. Wasn't there something you wanted to talk with me about?"

"I wanted to know about yours and Sven's findings on the body at the party." Elsa leaned forward, and her voice lowered out of habit. "Obviously Silas can't tell me anything that hasn't been released to the public, and they're keeping a pretty tight lid on things as it is. But you and Sven actually got a chance to examine it, before Silas' medical examiner had it carried away and hidden."

Elsa felt a sudden fire in her body, racing through her veins, setting nerves alight with a manic energy she hadn't felt before. What was wrong with her? There was nothing exciting to be told about a mutilated dead body, but that wasn't it. In the back of her head, she knew, somehow, if they could find the culprit behind these attacks, they could find out the secret behind what was going on with the city. And something about the matter she didn't trust in the hands of the Westergaard brothers. She wanted to solve this on her own. Something, instincts maybe, told her she had to.

If she could just have a clue, a single clue…

Elsa saw the pale expression on Kristoff's face. "Did Silas already tell you to keep your mouth shut?"

Kristoff rolled his big shoulders, heaving a great sigh. "He had Sven and I sign a contract not to make our findings public. He promised us a lengthy sentence if we did."

"Ah…"

Kristoff gave a sudden smirk. "But you're not the public, yes?"

"Last I checked, no."

"Silas _did_ say I could share my findings with my associates, but then I'd have to come right back to him with anything we've discovered. And, you _are_ technically, one of my associates." Kristoff waved a hand dismissively. "He doesn't necessarily have to know, though…"

"I don't think he imagined me as one of your associates but… if he never hears about it…"

Kristoff suddenly looked around. Elsa found herself doing the same. While they knew there was nobody, the exchange of secrets in a dark room on a rainy day definitely was enough to set one on edge, and Elsa in particular couldn't shake that feeling, once again, of somebody watching them from the shadows. Nothing but the fall of rain against glass answered them, however, and even if someone were to try to listen in, the office was warded, and the rain was loud enough anyways.

Kristoff let out a heavy sigh. "Right," he muttered, leaning in close and resting his hands together underneath his chin. "So, the body.

"To be honest, there's not much to say beyond what was obvious. Everyone could see, his chest had been torn open, the ribs broken and the heart ripped out."

"His?" Elsa started. "You were able to determine the gender of the person?"

"Uh, more or less, the body was definitely male. But the actual identity of the person we couldn't determine. We couldn't unwrap the bandages, obviously, so that secret lies with Silas and his M.E." Kristoff cleared his throat. "Besides that, the removal of the limbs, and from the soiled bandages, I imagine some trauma was done to the face, as well."

Elsa sighed. "Alright, then, so what else?"

"Keep in mind, Sven and I didn't get a lot of time with the body to properly see. So it's almost certain that there's something we missed. But from what time we got with it, we could see that the killer was very practiced. He used precise tools, a bone saw, a cutter, the like. He also was very careful in where he cut. It seemed… for whatever reason, he was working on a single goal."

Elsa had a feeling what that was. It sent a volt of panic rooting her to her chair, her hands trembling. She swallowed and asked anyways, "And that would be…?"

Kristoff shrugged his arms, but she could see the look on his face, the white of his skin, the fear in his eyes. "For whatever reason, the killer was specifically working for the extraction of the victim's heart."

"Why… on _earth_ would someone do that?"

"Psychology isn't really my profession, so I'm not one to ask. In fact, I'd rather try to avoid thinking about the possibilities of why. Whoever is responsible for these murders has one sick mind."

"But then why the removal of the limbs?"

Kristoff rubbed his chin, discomfort frowning his face. "I can't be certain, especially since I never got a closer look at the wounds. Those were wrapped in bandages, too, after all. If I had to wager a guess? A form of control. A way to rid the victim of getting away."

"A sick mind, indeed…" Elsa's stomach churned and twisted, and she was thankful her breakfast was only a very light meal. "Perhaps it is best we don't have all the answers. But I still wish to know who is responsible."

The room had gone silent again. Rain pattered vainly against the glass pane of the window. She felt Kristoff shift in his seat, and when she looked up at him, she caught a gleam of concern in his eyes, an eyebrow raised. "Are you… hoping to solve these murders to clear Anna's name?"

Elsa sucked her breath into her chest. Her own heart tripled its beat in intensity. "I… suppose that's a part of it."

"You know that's not going to endear you any further to the town."

"I don't care." Elsa said it with a sudden ferocity, and she knew it to be true. At this point, there was no doubt. And she would reaffirm it every time someone questioned her. Anna was innocent, she had to be. And the town's opinion of her or of Anna was of no matter. "And besides, once Anna's name _is_ cleared, the town will have to see there's nothing wrong with her. They'll stop their mistreatment of her."

Kristoff shook his head. "If you say so."

"Besides…" Elsa wanted to ignore Kristoff's implication, even if she herself knew it would never be that simple. But she had to pause. How much should she be willing to confide in Kristoff? He was in direct contact with Silas, and she couldn't be absolutely certain he _didn't_ go to him to tell him of their conversation. But she had to trust him… he was helping Anna, and she had never known him to be anything but steadfast and honest, doing his best to stay out of conspiracies and town drama.

"Between you and me," she said, and she saw Kristoff nod and straighten his back, "I'm not sure I trust the Westergaards to properly deal with this case."

Kristoff blinked in surprise. "What makes you say that? Do you think… do you think one of them is responsible?"

His words had caught her off guard, and she gave pause to ponder them. Now that she thought about it, she couldn't be entirely sure. They all certainly put on enough of a front to act horrified and angered by the gruesome deeds, but the Westergaards were well-known, well-rehearsed actors, and she didn't put murder beyond any of them, even murder as gruesome as these. However, they never acted without a reason, without a benefit for themselves. And she couldn't fathom the reason behind these murders, apart from, maybe, the focus it took away from them… and put on Anna.

_She's a scapegoat, just like she said…_

Elsa sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "I cannot give an honest answer to that," she finally said. "But I know that, if they were to figure it out, I cannot trust what they would do with that information."

Kristoff hummed in thought. "I guess you're right, to be honest, I've been having leery feelings about them these past few years. Still… I can't imagine…" He shook his head, as if clearing away the morbid thoughts. "Anyways, I'm afraid I can't tell you anything else. Sven and I are still going over our notes."

"That's quite alright," Elsa gave him a polite smile, as bright as she could manage. "You've given me enough to think about."

"Heh, maybe," Kristoff said with a half-smile, his eyes devoid of mirth. "If we ask nicely, Silas will allow us to look at the body. Fingers crossed! Though I doubt it."

Elsa shrugged, and found her own smile waning. "Nothing much we can do now, but wait."

"Yeah… but wait for what, exactly?"

Elsa couldn't answer, letting the sound of the rain drown out the uneasy silence.

* * *

It was nearing nine o'clock.

Elsa straightened the cloth beneath her and began to fill their drinks. The light of the lanterns she placed had given enough ample lighting with the sun long since disappeared and only the light of the waning moon on offering. She set the cup down as she heard the humming and smiled.

Footsteps approached the gate and she heard a grunt of exertion before Anna's smiling face appeared over the wall.

"Why, hello there!" she called.

"Hello," Elsa answered back.

Anna's eyes alighted on the image before her, the large open basket filled with food, and Elsa smiled as they widened in shock and hunger. "Is this what you were talking to Gerda about on the phone?"

"It is," Elsa gestured to the food. "I thought, what better way to get to know each other than over a picnic?"

"How did you know I love sandwiches so much?" Anna asked as she climbed over the wall. "Did Owen tell you?" When she landed on her feet, she swayed a little, her knees buckling slightly. Elsa stood, rushing over to help, but Anna waved her off. "Just lost my balance for a second there."

"Oh…" Elsa surveyed her carefully, concern dancing in her chest, but Anna merely straightened herself and dusted off her skirt, giving a wide smile. "Well, no, Owen didn't tell me any such thing. I honestly didn't know, but sandwiches are a good easy meal to have in conversation, yes?"

"It's a good meal for anything!" Anna proclaimed, her eyes bright and cheerful. It set Elsa's heart to a quick and steady race.

Then she turned to the food and frowned. She may have gone a bit overboard with how much she made. There were sandwiches of just about every kind she could think of, with cookies, krumkake, and truffles crammed to the side, waiting for dessert.

"I… I don't actually think we'll be able to eat all of this food…"

"It's okay!" Anna settled herself opposite Elsa and already reached for the truffles, which Elsa had to roll her eyes at. "We'll eat what we can, and save the rest for later!"

Elsa smiled. "Of course!"

"So," Anna said through a mouthful of her favorite strawberry truffles. "Was there anything in particular you wanted to ask me about?"

Elsa took her tea and sipped at it. "I would actually like to hear about where you came from, if you don't mind."

"Ah…" Anna swallowed the thick chocolate and looked away shyly, playing with her fingers. "That I would rather not talk about."

"Oh, okay…" Elsa tried not to feel disappointed. If Anna didn't want to talk about something, she was well within her right to say no, of course, and perhaps it didn't matter where Anna came from. But she was curious, and she had heard the girl talk about her mother with such reverence… ah, well. Another time.

"These sandwiches are really good!" Anna had picked out two rather large sandwiches, taking huge bites out of both of them so that her cheeks were stuffed as if about to burst. Crumbs and dressing covered her lips messily as she chewed, her eyes closed and her whole body swaying in delight. "Dijoo make 'em?"

Elsa gave a rather improper snort at the sound of Anna trying to communicate through chewing food. Sure, it wasn't polite, but Anna managed to make it charming. Anna covered her mouth with the back of her hand and smiled bashfully up at Elsa, muttering a thick apology before finishing chewing and swallowing her food.

"I did, yes," Elsa finally answered once she had calmed herself. "Though I did not make the desserts. I'm admittedly not much of a cook… so, I didn't trust myself with those. Sandwiches are pretty difficult to mess up, though."

"Well, technically, you _bake_ desserts." Anna gave Elsa a cheeky little wink when she rolled her eyes. "But it's not that difficult, I could teach you sometime!"

"You know how to bake?"

"Oh, yes… Mama and I used to bake all the time." Anna sombered briefly, so briefly Elsa almost missed it. And then her smile was back in its proper place. "But it's been a while. Gerda had to… uh, re-teach me a few things. Besides, she prefers making food for me anyways. That way I eat something other than chocolate."

Elsa smiled wide. "That would be a good idea, yes."

Anna shrugged. "What can I say. Chocolate is my one true weakness."

"So, you told me at the party that you're into history…" Elsa started as she took another sip of her tea. Once she finished and set the cup back down, she continued, "Is there any other subject you enjoy?"

"I enjoyed all of them! I always loved school. I did like my literature and history classes the most, but I enjoyed maths as well."

"You like maths?" Elsa felt herself perk up a bit at the sound of that.

"Well, not so much the homework, but I like working numbers together. It's a lot like solving puzzles!"

"Maybe one of these days you can help me with my work…" Elsa began to rub her temples, a migraine threatening to break out just as the mere thought of it all. "I've had just about enough of it."

Anna giggled sheepishly. "I'm not sure I'm of much use with financial matters, unfortunately. But maybe! So, was maths your favorite subject?"

"To an extent… it was the one my father focused on in my studies." Elsa shrugged her shoulders uneasily. "I guess you could say I have a love-hate relationship with it."

"A lot of expectations from your father, huh? He was really determined for you to follow him in his footsteps, it seems."

"Yes…" Elsa shook her head clear of the memories before they could infest her mind too much. "What about your mother? Did she have any expectations for you?"

"Nope!" Anna happily plopped the rest of her sandwich in her mouth, and Elsa realized with a start that she had finished both sandwiches already. "Well… I shouldn't say no, exactly. It's just that, she didn't want me to feel pressured to do any one thing. She told me to do what I love, and decide what I was going to focus on later, when I'm… older." Anna swallowed her food with a grimace. She began to interlay her fingers together and stared deep at them.

They were getting uncomfortably close to Anna's sore points, Elsa realized, so she cleared her throat and asked, "I was wondering, Anna… if it's okay to ask, what happened during the party after you left?"

Anna looked up at Elsa blankly, whether still stuck in her memories or trying to recollect her thoughts. She didn't respond right away, and there was a tense, awful silence, but Elsa waited patiently. Finally, Anna moved to take a deep gulp of her tea, so quickly Elsa was worried she'd choke on it, and then flashed Elsa a strange half-smile.

"Do you mean while everyone was gawking at our killer's most recent masterpiece?"

Elsa startled. "That's… not the word I'd think to use, but…"

"I'm only joking, Elsa!" Anna giggled. Then the smile dropped and she seemed to sober gravely as she drank once more from her teacup. "Truth be told, I had not meant to leave, and I'm sorry. I know you had meant to talk with me again after Julien had some words, or a couple dozen, with you. I needed to stretch my legs for a bit, but I had gotten tired not long afterwards. So I decided to turn in for the night. Julien has a suite for me when I stay over. I didn't hear about what had happened until the morning."

Elsa wanted to ask, again, what Anna's thoughts on the killer's possible identity was, but she had already asked. And Anna had made a good point—if she knew, she would tell Julien and Silas and put an end to all the rumors the town had on her. But there was something else gnawing at her thoughts.

"Do you know where Hans was? We couldn't find him, either."

Anna shook her head, "No, I don't. When I woke up, he was at breakfast, as usual. But he left soon after, said he had some business to attend to."

"Business…?" Elsa felt a stir of anxiety at Anna's words. She didn't like the sound of any of that. What kind of business could Hans be doing away from his brothers?

Anna only shrugged. "I haven't the slightest idea. It's been a while since I've stayed at the manor with them, so I can't say how often he leaves or not. Julien keeps a pretty tight leash on everybody, though, so perhaps it was an errand of his."

"I suppose…" Though that wasn't anymore comforting for Elsa than the alternative, because now she worried what Julien was sending his brother out for. Elsa shook her head and sighed. Yet another mystery for another time.

"So how often _do_ you stay at the Westergaard manor?" Elsa asked as she finally picked a sandwich from the basket. "I'm still surprised that they didn't keep you in the manor, especially if they have a suite prepared for you anyways. No matter their intentions."

Anna raised an eyebrow, peering over the rim of her teacup. "Why does that surprise you?" she asked with a laugh.

Elsa shrugged. "Greater control… if they wanted to use you as a distraction, as you said, keeping you in the manor with them means they can better assess how to handle the situation, and use it for their own benefits. Letting you live in your own place means leaving things up to chance."

"But isn't that the point?" Anna said with a cant to her head, that spark in her eyes once more, the sly smile returning. "Leave me up to my own tricks and the town responds accordingly. At least, that's what I assume. But I don't pretend to know what their angle is. Just that I know they're up to something."

A silence filled the air as Anna took another gulp of her tea, before setting it down and resuming eating her sandwiches. Elsa thought deeply about Anna's words, but something still didn't feel right to her. What other reason could the Westergaards possibly have for isolating Anna?

"Anyways," Anna suddenly resumed, startling Elsa out of her thoughts. "I do stay at the manor sometimes. Usually around the time they have parties, or for the holidays. Sometimes Julien will just invite me over to stay, and it's… generally a good idea to not reject him. I usually just stick to my suite, or the library. Better to stay out of everyone's way."

Elsa sighed. "Well… tell me about your time with the Westergaards, then."

Anna looked up suddenly. "Pardon?"

"You've spent the past three years… maybe not _living_ with them, but being taken care of by them, in a way."

That crooked, eerie smile returned and something glimmered in Anna's eyes. "You mean, I've spent the past three years under their thumbs, and since I've already warned you that they're using me as a distraction for their greater plans, you're hoping I can give you their secrets."

"I didn't mean it that way, no."

"It's okay, Elsa," Anna giggled. "I would be disappointed if you didn't. Though, I have to be honest, I don't even know what it is they're planning for. Julien spends his nights in his office, talking to his father, and he has his room warded so nobody can listen in. Often he takes meetings with the other boys, sometimes just Hans, sometimes just Silas—never just Owen, I've realized. Sometimes he even takes meetings with me, just to ask me what I've gotten up to at night. But what they all talk about, I don't know. They won't let me know."

"Anna—"

She stopped then, blinking in surprise. "Oh, sorry, I was rambling again. Was there something specific you wanted to ask me?"

"I want to know how they've been treating you."

Anna blinked again, pausing, her face contorting into several different expressions. Elsa couldn't quite put a name to the emotions she was seeing, but if she had to guess, it was a mix of anger and confusion. Her eyes flitted all over the place, as if seeking some hidden answer, before they finally widened and turned quickly to Elsa. Her brow furrowed, and her head tilted to the side, as if she were examining her. "How they've been treating me?"

"Yes…" Elsa suddenly felt a red hot flush rise to her face and the tips of her ears, and she didn't know if it was out of anger or embarrassment, or even necessarily what that meant for her. She cleared her throat and began to pick at her sandwich, suddenly needing to distract herself. But Anna still watched her, waiting for an answer. Elsa cleared her throat again. "I just… I know that tensions are high with Daisy, and I saw how Julien spoke to you. And I… know how they all can be… and…" Elsa closed her mouth and said no more.

Anna tilted her head even further, and Elsa found the movement odd. She wasn't exactly put off by it, but it wasn't comforting, either. There was a far-off distance to her look, Anna existing physically in front of her, but mentally, she did not know, and maybe she didn't want to know. An unaware but all-too-aware vacant stare, like Elsa was a puzzle with all the pieces aligned, and Anna had suddenly found the answer but wasn't quite sure what to do with it. Perhaps this is what Anna had meant before about treating her like a riddle to be solved. She could see why Anna wouldn't like it.

The fever finally seemed to pass as soon as it had come over her, and her lips were pulled in a wide, eager smile, a soft-hearted glimmer in her eyes, but also a darkness that Elsa could not guess at. "That makes sense! You _did_ grow up with them, after all.

"Well, I guess you already have a bit of your answer, since as you said, you've heard Daisy's prattle, and had seen Julien's… whatever you wanna call it, his desire for control, or to seem like the big man. That's really what it is, y'know? He wants to seem like the big man. I don't know what his father says to him from whatever cushy golden room he's hidden away in. But the few times I've seen him afterwards he always seems a little shaken. He has a lot to live up to that he never had to before, I guess. And he takes it out on the rest of us. Except for Silas, but that's because Silas is just so eager to be his dog set out on the rest of us whenever we dare to act up."

"The rest of you?"

Anna nodded, and promptly shoved a handful of strawberry truffles into her mouth. She kept nodding all while chewing, diligently and deliberately, before finally swallowing the mess of chocolate down, and the nodding stopped. "Owen, Hans… me, I guess. Though, Julien makes sure to reign Silas' brutish tendencies when it comes to me. No, I'm _special_ like that." Anna giggled. Elsa frowned. She didn't like the way she said that.

"And you've seen Hans already. He gets exasperated with my rebelliousness, and I have this feeling he kind of looks down on me… but he's also a total gentleman. He's always defending me from Julien and Silas, he's making sure I'm not getting into trouble with any of the citizens, he's doing his damnedest to quiet the nastier rumors about me."

"What about Owen?"

Anna's smile soured so fast Elsa almost got whiplash. Her lips curled not in anger, but something much more bitter. Anna glared into the ground and covered her scowl with her teacup, muttering, "Owen treats me just fine."

Elsa felt a cold, sinking feeling that settled deep in her bones, chilling her through and never letting up. She reached out with her hand, in comfort she meant, but Anna shrank away, shoulders hunched to her ears. Elsa let her hand drop.

"Anna? Did… did Owen do something? To you?"

Anna shook her head. "No, he did nothing to me" She suddenly laughed, far too loud and far too harshly. Elsa winced at the sound of it. "Absolutely nothing."

A pregnant silence hung in the air after her pause. Wind rustled the tree branches, sounding almost like a whisper, and Elsa had that feeling again, that feeling of someone peering in at them from the shadows. She shivered, drawing her coat tighter around her. She was starting to think asking about the Westergaards was a mistake.

"I'm sorry if my questioning has bothered you. I just… wanted to make sure you were being treated right. And now that I have my answer…"

"Don't you dare get involved, Elsa," Anna replied harshly, not unkindly, but almost reprimanding her, as if offended that Elsa would think about doing something for her. "You already have enough on your plate as it is. It's alright, really, I appreciate the concern. I'm fine… truthfully. The Westergaards don't exactly treat me right, but they treat me well." She raised her arms and gave a bright, eye-crinkling smile. "I'm still in one piece, at least!"

A sharp pang pierced her chest and Elsa took Anna's hands into her own. The other girl jumped and seemed on the verge of retreating from her hold, but Elsa kept her grip tight… but still gentle. Never hard. She rubbed her thumbs over Anna's skin and looked deep into her gold-flecked teal eyes.

"If any of them hurt you, in any way… please. Tell me. Be completely honest." Elsa steeled her gaze and saw Anna's own eyes widen as she nodded, but then she relaxed and smiled. "Anything you say is safe with me."

Anna tilted her head again in that curious expression. Elsa knew she was judging, examining, but she didn't mind this time. As long as Anna felt safe.

A small smile formed at the edge of Anna's lips, and Elsa wished she knew what it meant.

"Okay…"


End file.
